Some people talk about digital equity. Liz Caruso lives it every single day.
This week, WABI TV5 aired a feature on the Somerset Connect Center in Bingham, a welcoming space where community members can get free tech help and reliable internet access. For anyone who has watched Liz work, the story felt like a well-earned spotlight on years of steady, determined effort across one of Maine’s largest counties.
A Big County With Big Needs
Somerset County covers a lot of ground. Its towns are spread out, and the nearest help desk may be a long drive away. As Liz explained in the WABI story, many rural residents may have internet access and a device, yet still lack the know-how to use them safely and successfully. That gap becomes a real barrier to finding work, attending a telehealth appointment, finishing a degree, or simply staying in touch with family.
As Somerset County’s Digital Equity Manager with the Somerset Economic Development Corporation, Liz has made it her mission to close that gap. She helped create the Somerset Broadband Coalition, a network of more than 40 organizations across the county working to help residents find internet access, affordable devices, free classes, and tech support.
A Hub for the Whole Community
The Somerset Economic Development Corporation opened the Somerset Connect Center in 2024 in the former Quimby School on Main Street in Bingham. It has quickly become a true community tech hub. Residents can use free Wi-Fi and public computers, take digital skills classes, and get one-on-one tech support with devices, email, social media, Microsoft Office, and Google apps.
The center also offers private offices for telehealth appointments, a conference room for in-person or hybrid meetings, and a remote work office that can be reserved by the day. Residents can meet with the Upper Kennebec CareerCenter and other workforce partners for workshops and career coaching. The center has also partnered with AARP on fraud awareness and prevention workshops in towns throughout the county.
Somerset County Broadband is also a sponsor of our Get IT program. That partnership makes GiGi personal computers and user support more accessible to Somerset residents who need a computer to reach their education, employment, and health and wellness goals. So the center does more than share its own computing resources. It also helps people get personal computers of their own. Interested residents can start with Apply for IT.
And here is a lovely local detail: the center is open whenever the sign outside is lit.
Build IT Comes to Bingham
The Connect Center recently hosted a Build IT session for local homeschooling families. Parents and kids worked side by side, learning how computers come together and gaining hands-on skills they can carry into their studies. [Add detail: number of families, ages of students, or a quote from a parent.]
Moments like these are what digital equity looks like in practice. A child who understands how a device works is more likely to use it with curiosity and confidence. A parent who learns alongside them gains new footing too.
A Driving Force for GiGi and for Maine
Liz also serves on the give IT. get IT. board, where her insight from the field shapes how we think about access, training, and community partnership. She brings a practical, people-first perspective to every conversation, and her energy is contagious. In short, she’s amazing, and we are lucky to count her as both a board member and a close friend.
We are grateful to WABI reporter Alyssa Thurlow for telling this story with such care. Coverage like this helps rural Mainers learn that free support exists close to home.
Visit the Somerset Connect Center
If you live in Somerset County and need help with a device, an online form, or an internet connection, the Connect Center is ready for you. Stop by, or reserve a space ahead of time.
📍 263 Main St., Bingham, ME 04920
🕒 Monday 8 am to 1 pm, Tuesday 12 to 5 pm, Thursday 12 to 5 pm, Friday 8 am to 12 pm
📞 (207) 474-0166
✉️ somersetbroadband@gmail.com
🌐 somerseteconomicdevelopment.com/somerset-connect-center
Watch the full WABI feature here: https://www.wabi.tv/video/2026/09/22/somerset-connect-center-offers-free-tech-help-internet-access/
Help Us Keep Maine Connected
Stories like this one happen because communities come together. Here are a few ways you can be part of it:
Share this post with someone in Somerset County who could use free tech help.
Shop our online store for affordable technology, knowing every purchase supports digital equity in Maine.
Donate a device you no longer use and give it a second life with a Mainer who needs it.
