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Videoconferencing Facilities Available

Pine Tree Legal Assistance recently acquired ISDN-based videoconferencing equipment in its offices around the State (Portland, Augusta, Lewiston, Bangor, Machias and Presque Isle.)

The system includes Polycom videoconferencing units with 32" monitors, supported by 3 ISDN lines per location for high-speed transmission, including support of American Sign Language interpretation. Using 3 ISDN lines for a point to point conference produces a video with a frame rate of 30 frames per second - high quality video transmission.

The current system supports simultaneous transmission to up to four Pine Tree sites simultaneously, or point to point transmissions between Pine Tree offices or between a Pine Tree office and an external site (both inside and out of Maine.) Local office conference room facilities vary in size but can accommodate between 5 - 12 people, depending on the location. Multi-point conferences produce video with a slower frame rate, but more than adequate for conferences. 

Videoconferencing facilities can be reserved for use by other nonprofit organizations or private firms. The rating structure is as follows:

If the videoconferencing connection is between two or more Pine Tree office sites, the rental fee includes all ISDN-based charges and other costs associated with the use of the equipment. If the videoconferencing connection is between a Pine Tree office site and an external site, ISDN charges will be an additional cost when initiated by the Pine Tree site. (Those charges vary, depending on the location of the external site. Generally, sites inside Maine will involve a minimum ISDN charge of $60/hour and sites outside Maine will be $120/hour.) There is no additional charge when the external site initiates the videoconference.

Individuals interested in using the equipment for a specific date and time should contact Sandra Soucie in our Portland office: (207) 774-4753 x1211.
Invoices are payable to Pine Tree Legal Assistance c/o Sandra Soucie, Pine Tree Legal Assistance, PO Box 547, Portland, ME 04112. Cancellations with less than 24 hours notice may be subject to full billing.