My Maine ISP is into Linux and wireless technology, but not inflated Internet stocks

JASON PHILBROOK is my Internet service provider in Maine.

In April 1995, Philbrook was a sophomore at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. His secret weapons were Pentiums running "shareware" called Linux. And he had a business plan for becoming midcoast Maine's first ISP.

Being a pundit, I don't read business plans. But Philbrook's father is a lobsterman out of Owls Head, where we summer. And he offered me "a wicked lobsta dinna."

I worried that Philbrook would find few people in Maine willing to pay for Internet access, that he would not support them satisfactorily from his dorm, and that he would soon be squashed by the big national ISPs.

By June 1995, despite my worries, Philbrook left college, founded Midcoast Internet Solutions (www.midcoast.com), and signed me up as a customer (see www.infoworld.com/metcalfe).

By July 1997, Philbrook had 2,800 customers, nine employees, six points of presence (POPs), 85 percent of a market only 5 percent penetrated, profitable annual growth of 33 percent, and a used red Jaguar (see www.infoworld.com/metcalfe).

Today, Midcoast prospers. It looks messy, but it's in new digs, offers local V.90 access to 4,500 customers from Bath to Belfast, and doubled its revenue during 1999.

Midcoast's financials are private, but Philbrook has replaced his old Jaguar with an older one -- a 1969 E-Type -- and a sporty new Saab.

What are Philbrook's secrets? He still uses Linux, by Red Hat, in which he owns stock. He offers two dial-in numbers, one for each of the slightly incompatible V.90 modems people use a lot. Midcoast makes a profit after installing customer PCs onto the Internet for free. And Philbrook helps out in surrounding communities.

Midcoast depends on Bell Atlantic for telephone facilities. Philbrook says that the monopoly is behaving itself, except he just requested five new ISDN Primary Rate Interfaces and has to wait an estimated 60 days for installation.

Philbrook's long-range plan is to expand V.90 only in territories already served, to focus on developing access alternatives, to provision wireless access for other ISPs, and to become a competitive local exchange carrier (CLEC) offering Internet telephone services.

Midcoast will soon offer Digital Subscriber Lines. My access will go up in speed six times and down in cost four times -- can't wait.

Sign up for ITworld's Daily newsletter
Follow ITworld on Twitter @IT_world

• Email
• Print
• Share
  • Slashdot
  • Digg
  • Stumble
  • Reddit
  • Newsvine