Maryland's broadband future

[Commentary] The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) is now over a year old. While our economy has yet to fully emerge from recession, the media's focus has naturally shifted over the past year to other important matters, such as the health care debate and the horrendous Gulf oil spill. For Marylanders, though, the time to revisit attention on ARRA — better known as the federal stimulus bill — is now.

ARRA provided the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) $4.7 billion to support the deployment of broadband Internet service through a variety of initiatives, including broadband infrastructure. The state of Maryland and a broad consortium of key local government and private sector partners submitted the One Maryland Broadband Network application for approximately $140 million in broadband infrastructure funding, seeking to take advantage of an historic opportunity to build a broadband network that reaches the entire state. From the urban and suburban areas of the Baltimore and Washington areas to the rural communities of the Eastern Shore and Western Maryland, this plan truly represents a united vision. Leveraging decades of experience in managing networks by the various members of the consortium, the One Maryland plan would directly connect and serve 1,166 community anchors and other points of interest, including 469 elementary, middle and secondary schools, 311 public safety facilities, 255 government facilities, 68 libraries and 18 community colleges. The One Maryland Broadband Network realizes that if we do not build for tomorrow, we will live in the past.

[Ken Ulman is the Howard County executive. Also signing on to this commentary are: Gov. Martin O'Malley; Annapolis Mayor Josh Cohen; Harford County Executive David R. Craig; Prince George's County Executive Jack B. Johnson; Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett; Anne Arundel County Executive John R. Leopold; Maryland Broadband Cooperative President Pat Mitchell; Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake; and Baltimore County Executive James T. Smith.]