Baltimore Mayor Scott promised to close Baltimore’s digital divide, but 2 years in, the city still can’t say how it gets there

In a hearing before City Council in June 2022, Baltimore’s then-chief broadband official Jason Hardebeck outlined a vision to bring next-generation internet connection to one of the poorest parts of town, the public housing project Gilmor Homes, within a matter of weeks. He pitched the idea as step one in an aggressive campaign to establish 100 communal Wi-Fi hotspots across West Baltimore, all within a year. But within two months of outlining his proposal for Gilmor Homes to the City Council, Hardebeck was fired from his post without reason given, he says. His plan to connect Gilmor Homes to public internet remains unfulfilled. Two years since Mayor Brandon Scott (D) established an office to close the digital divide, Baltimore leaders have yet to issue a plan showing how the city would meet that goal, which the mayor has pledged to accomplish by 2030 with millions of dollars in federal support. Fundamentally, the delay stems from a clash of visions over the city’s approach. Hardebeck was pursuing an unprecedented, New Deal-style buildout of a city-controlled network delivering fiber-optic internet to the curb of every home in Baltimore, an investment he said would allow the city to ensure high-speed service at more affordable rates to low-income residents than relying on the corporate giants that now dominate the market.