About Axiom
Bridging Maine’s digital divide since 2004.
We’re a Machias-based fiber internet and phone company with a single focus: connecting the rural and island communities the big providers leave behind.
Who we are
A local company doing what others won’t
Axiom was founded in 2004 in Machias, in Washington County — one of the most rural corners of Maine. From the start, our work has been the connections other providers consider too remote, too rugged, or too small to bother with.
Over the past two decades we’ve designed and built fiber networks across the mainland and out to unbridged islands, partnering with towns to create broadband they own themselves. Our engineers, field crews, billing, and support all work from right here in Maine — because the communities we serve deserve a provider who picks up the phone and knows the terrain.
Our story
Twenty years of reaching the unreachable
Axiom began in 2004 with a simple, stubborn goal: get Washington County online when no one else would. Back then, connecting Maine’s hardest-to-reach corners meant pioneering whatever technology could span the distance — and Axiom built one of the region’s first rural broadband networks across some of the most rugged terrain in the country, community by community.
As the technology matured, so did we. The early networks proved what was possible; fiber made it permanent. Today, Axiom builds and operates fiber-to-the-home networks and VoIP phone service exclusively — the gold standard — bringing future-proof, symmetrical connections to the same rural and island communities we set out to serve two decades ago.
The technology has changed. The mission hasn’t: every person in Maine deserves a real connection to the rest of the world.
Our mission
To deliver strategic and customized rural broadband deployment solutions to remote communities everywhere.
Every town is different, so we don’t sell one-size-fits-all. We tailor each deployment to the place it serves — and we measure success by whether a community that was once left off the map is finally, fully connected.
Leadership
The people behind the network
Decades of Maine economic-development and hands-on broadband experience, working from Machias.
Mark Ouellette
President & CEO
Mark leads Axiom’s mission to grow fiber broadband across rural Maine. He previously served as Executive Director of Mobilize Maine, where he helped regions across the state develop and implement private-sector economic development strategies; as Director of Business Development for the State of Maine; and earlier as Chief of Staff to U.S. Representative Tom Allen. With more than 20 years in economic and community development — and a strong record of writing and securing federal, state, and foundation grants — he was pivotal to Axiom’s landmark Microsoft grant to bring internet access to homes in Washington County. He is an active speaker on bringing broadband to rural communities.
Kim Emerson
Director of Special Projects
Kim oversees Axiom’s fiber-optic build-outs, leading network and technology planning, architecture and roadmaps, and the continued evolution of the company’s broadband deployment methods. He is proficient in a range of programming languages including Perl/CGI, JavaScript, SQL, and ASP, and holds MikroTik RouterOS certifications (MTCRE, MTCWE, and MTCTCE) as well as an A+ Certification — which he earned in order to teach a certification course to high school and adult education students. He is a graduate of the University of Maine at Machias.
Ian Sawyer
Director of Network Services
Ian serves the whole organization across many disciplines — network management, network installations, and computer repair for Axiom’s neighbors in Washington County. A CompTIA A+ Certified Technician with over ten years of hands-on experience across hardware and software, he has the proven skills to support complex IT infrastructure in rural communities, with deep experience in Windows operating systems, networking, firewalls, and identifying and preventing malware.
Recognition
A proven record in rural broadband
We have the proven ability to shape rural deployment strategies while driving innovative thinking — and we’re grateful it’s been recognized over the years.
2016
2014
2010–2013
Our journey
Two decades of connecting Maine
From the first signal Downeast to fiber across the sea floor — how a small Machias company has kept finding ways to reach the unreachable.
Axiom is founded in Machias
A new company sets out to connect Washington County — one of Maine’s most rural corners — when no national carrier would.
Our first connection goes live in Jonesport
Axiom lights up its first wireless broadband site — the beginning of a network that would grow to span the Downeast coast.
Recognized by Microsoft
Axiom wins a Microsoft grant to expand rural access in Washington County — the only recipient in North America that year.
Cranberry Isles
Our first major island fiber build — Islesford, Great Cranberry & Sutton — widely cited as a model for rural Maine.
Cliff Island
The first of the Casco Bay islands to cross the finish line and connect to fiber.
Georgetown
A town-driven fiber-to-the-home network, with the first home connected in the fall.
Arrowsic
A community network nearly a decade in the making goes live for homes, farms, and businesses.
Leeds
A town-owned fiber network reaches nearly every home and business in the community.
Monhegan Island
Fiber reaches one of Maine’s most remote island communities, ten miles out to sea.
Chebeague Island
The island’s community-owned fiber network is completed and celebrated with a ribbon-cutting.
Somerville & Washington
Two long-underserved towns bring first-ever fiber to residents through state and federal grants.
Isle au Haut
A 6.5-mile subsea cable connects the island; first homes come online in early 2025. Read the story ›
Vienna
A town that heard “no” from 30 providers builds its own network — first customers connected in 2025.
The technology has changed; the mission hasn’t. See where we serve today →
Let’s connect your community
Whether you want fiber at home or you’re a town ready to build a network of your own, we’d love to talk.