BIDDEFORD — The University of New England now has faster, more-affordable broadband service at its Biddeford and Portland campuses.

Earlier this month, Maine Fiber Company connected the institution to the “Three Ring Binder” network, a dark fiber network that provides middle-mile connections between the Internet superhighway and to anchor institutions like UNE, school officials said.

This connection allows “seamless communication between campuses” and provides enhanced “video applications and connections to specialized education programs,” according to a statement from the university.

In addition, the Three Ring Binder, built and operated by Maine Fiber Company, has continuous dark fiber from the Canadian border to Boston.

“Now, the university can make connectivity to Africa (and its campus in Tangier, Morocco) entirely on a fiber optic network,” said Jeff McCarthy, vice president of Maine Fiber Company.

“UNE is delighted to provide our students with an enhanced level of global connectivity through this network,” said UNE President Dr. Danielle Ripich in a prepared statement.

U.S. Sen. Angus King, D-Maine, who supports increasing high-speed Internet infrastructure throughout Maine, said this was welcome news.

“High-speed Internet service must be a central part of our infrastructure in order for our economy and communities to thrive,” he said in a prepared statement. “We took a significant step forward in connecting rural areas to the rest of the world through the Three Ring Binder broadband project, and this collaboration between the Maine Fiber Company and the University of New England is a continuation of that critical effort.”

The Three Ring Binder is “part of the solution,” said McCarthy, in extending high-speed broadband throughout Maine.

Connecting to the Three Ring Binder is not only good news for the university, but also for businesses and residents in the area, he said.

McCarthy said Maine Fiber Company’s model is to connect to anchor institutions like UNE and then work with retail Internet provides who provide the last mile of service to homes, businesses and others.

Currently, he said, the company has connected its high-speed, dark fiber network to approximately 125 anchor institutions, including University of Maine System campuses, around the state.

The Three Ring Binder was built after Biddeford-based Internet provider GWI successfully applied for a federal grant that provided much of the funding for the project.

Maine Fiber Company was founded in 2009, because a condition of the award, said McCarthy, was that an independent company be created to operate the Three Ring Binder to ensure open access to the high-capacity, dark fiber optic network.

— Staff Writer Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 324 or [email protected].