The state of Maryland will deploy more than $267 million in federal funding to bring high-speed Internet access to every Marylander. As part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, funding from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration will assist in closing the remaining gaps in high-speed Internet service in the state and expanding digital equity initiatives.
The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Office of Statewide Broadband is developing a plan for how the funding will be deployed through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Broadband, Equity, Access and Deployment program.
“Every Marylander should have access to high-speed Internet, which plays a pivotal role in shaping economic outcomes and is to equitable development today what water and sewer systems have been for the past 150 years,” said Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Secretary Jake Day. “The Office of Statewide Broadband is dedicated to bridging the digital divide and addressing disparities for residents across the state.”
President Joe Biden announced the funding allocations to all of the states as part of the Biden Administration’s Internet for All initiative. Each state’s funding is determined by a formula using the number of households and businesses that lack access to broadband.
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 is being used to develop the framework for deploying the funding to unserved and underserved broadband regions throughout the state and to provide resources to increase access to technology and education.
Since the Office of Statewide Broadband was founded, it has invested more than $300 million into broadband infrastructure and equity programs. That investment has provided high-speed Internet access to an estimated 52,000 previously unserved homes and businesses statewide. For more information about the Office of Statewide Broadband, visit https://dhcd.maryland.gov/Broadband.