BIDDEFORD — GWI, a Maine-owned Internet service provider, has hired Tom Kinney as its chief revenue officer.

Kinney has previously been a division president for Time Warner Cable in both Austin, Texas and Portland, and altogether spent more than 20 years in the telecommunications industry.

Kinney’s move to GWI comes at a time when Maine political leaders are wrestling with strategic decisions about whether and how to support the deployment of gigabit-per-second fiber Internet networks in Maine. There are currently as many as 35 bills in front of the Maine Legislature related to ultra-high-speed Internet.

“I am thrilled to have Tom on board,” said Fletcher Kittredge, founder and CEO of GWI. “With his extensive experience in the cable industry, he will give us invaluable insight as we navigate the competitive challenges of broadband Internet in the years to come. As Maine grapples with building an Internet infrastructure that will fuel economic growth for the next several generations, the industry will undergo some very dynamic changes.”

In the last year, GWI has played a prominent role in bringing gigabit-per-second fiber networks to the municipalities of Rockport and South Portland. GWI’s nimble and entrepreneurial approach to improving Maine Internet infrastructure has drawn praise from people like U.S. Sen. Angus King and Susan Crawford, a former technology advisor to President Obama.

For his part, Kinney sees an exciting future for companies like GWI.

“There is no single, monolithic answer to our broadband challenges. It will take a variety of solutions for Maine and the United States to catch up with other countries that now have much faster Internet speeds than we do,” Kinney said.

“Consumers are looking for more and better choices and communities must find ways to ensure their residents and businesses have access to those choices. GWI is all about being a better choice and I’m looking forward to helping GWI further expand its role as an industry leader in Northern New England.”