Maryland has been awarded more than $115 million in competitive federal grant funds to extend broadband to rural and underserved communities across the state. The expansion is crucial for increasing Internet access and capacity across the state, helping create jobs, improve public safety, increase educational opportunities, improve health care delivery, and improve infrastructure for BRAC.
The Maryland Department of Information Technology (DoIT), in partnership with public and private agencies across the state that form the One Maryland Broadband Network (OMBN), won $115,240,581 in grant funding through the U.S. Department of Commerce's (DOC) Broadband Technology Opportunities Program. Funding was provided through the Fed's ongoing stimulus plan, aka American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and this grant is one of the biggest broadband grants awarded to date.
OMBN will use the funds to build more than 1,200 miles of high-speed Internet line, linking together three independent broadband networks and extending affordable and abundant Internet access to more than 1,000 anchor institutions � including 458 schools, 44 libraries, 262 police and emergency centers, 15 community colleges, 6 universities, and 221 other government and community support centers. The new network will connect the state from Western Maryland to the Eastern Shore, reaching 2 million homes and 443,000 businesses.
The grants are expected to create more than 800 new jobs now and at least an additional 800 jobs in the future. They will provide high-speed access to parts of Maryland that had little or no Internet connectivity. Many connections are too slow to process large amounts of data quickly � a problem when trying to send business records, video conferencing for educational coursework, medical records, and emergency communications.
Source: Office of Governor Martin O'Malley
Writer: Walaika Haskins