Maryland Governor Wes Moore said the state is awarding nearly $92 million to expand high-speed internet access to an estimated 14,500 households and businesses. The funding comes from Connect Maryland, an initiative to close the digital divide through the Office of Statewide Broadband.
The Connect Maryland Network Infrastructure Grant Program made 35 awards to ISPs and local jurisdictions to construct new broadband networks to service unserved households. “Internet access is essential for Marylanders to have a pathway to receive critical information, be involved with their communities and participate in the local economy,” said Gov. Moore. “These awards help ensure that the infrastructure exists to make Maryland more equitable.”
These projects invest more than $143 million to connect communities as remote as homes in the mountains of western Washington County to areas in more densely populated jurisdictions in the state, including Prince George’s and Montgomery counties. Read the full list of awards here.
The Office of Statewide Broadband is housed in the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development. Since the office was created in 2017, it has invested more than $270 million into broadband infrastructure and programs. Those efforts provide high-speed internet access to an estimated 52,000 previously unserved homes and businesses statewide.
In 2022, the Office of Statewide Broadband received federal planning grants for the Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment program and the Digital Equity Act program. The funding will be used to develop a framework for identifying unserved and underserved broadband regions throughout the state, and provide resources to increase access to technology and education.
