News
The latest round of funding for a new state-run initiative intends to cut the number of unserved households in Maryland by thousands.
By: Brad Randall, Broadband Communities
A program run by the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development has provided funding to 18 counties and municipalities, in an effort to cut the number of remaining unserved households in the state.
Earlier this month, Maryland Governor Wes Moore announced $19.6 million in awards for the Home Stretch for Difficult to Serve Properties initiative, an awards program administered by Maryland’s Office of Statewide Broadband.
The program’s mission is to help solve issues relating to locational distance from broadband infrastructure, along with other “geographic issues” that could prevent a provider from investing in broadband infrastructure that would deliver services.
According to the release from Gov. Moore’s office, 21,000 households in the state remain unserved by any type of high-speed broadband.
The first round of funding, announced on May 17, will go towards providing internet access for around 2,400 unserved households, representing over 11 percent of Maryland’s unserved homes.
“To leave no one behind, we need to get everyone online – especially those who have been historically beyond the reach of traditional efforts to narrow the digital divide,” the governor stated. “By moving in partnership, we are extending broadband access to more Marylanders, meeting people where they are, and creating new pathways to prosperity for all.”
Also in the state’s announcement, Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Secretary Jake Day detailed how the money, which is the program’s first round of awards, will assist with connecting unserved locations.
“These funds will help the Office of Statewide Broadband partner with local governments and internet service providers to close critical, ‘home stretch’ gaps in their broadband infrastructure to provide that essential access for unserved homes in their communities,” Day said.
Awards for the second part of the initiative, titled Home Stretch for Public Housing, will be announced in the coming weeks, according to the governor’s office.
“Both programs are the newest additions to the Office of Statewide Broadband’s Connect Maryland initiative,” the announcement stated, adding that the programs are funded using resources from the U.S. Treasury’s American Rescue Plan Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund.
A full list of jurisdictions that received awards is available here, at the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development’s website.
Counties to receive the Home Stretch for Difficult to Serve Properties, which all totaled roughly $1 million, included Calvert County, Queen Anne’s County, Talbot County, and Worcester County. Baltimore, the only non-county jurisdiction listed, received $1.1 million.
