Maryland Governor O'Malley Participates in Celebration of Broadband on Eastern Shore

STEVENSVILLE, MD (October 9, 2007) – Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley today joined Senator Barbara Mikulski and Senator E.J. Pipkin to celebrate the completion of the first phase in bringing broadband network capability to the Eastern Shore.

In June of this year, Governor O’Malley announced an advance of $2 million to continue installation of the Rural Broadband Initiative from Salisbury to the Bay Bridge, the second phase of the massive project to bring fiber optic lines to the Eastern Shore and Southern Maryland. That same month, NASA’s Wallops Island Space Facility was linked to the Patuxent River Naval Air Station in St. Mary’s County, completing Phase 1 of the initiative.

“Through partnerships between the private sector, the State of Maryland, and our federal government, we were able to move forward with one of the largest economic development projects in our State for the Eastern,” said Governor O’Malley. “Broadband access will help strengthen our economy and improve the lives of all Marylanders on the Eastern Shore and in Southern Maryland.”

The funds came from the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development’s Maryland Economic Development Assistance Fund (MEDAF), and were advanced from the department’s FY 09 budget. The funds were provided to the Maryland Broadband Cooperative, which oversees the project.

The Rural Broadband Communication bill (SB 753) was signed in May 2006 to bring access to fiber optic lines to the nine counties on the Eastern Shore and the three counties in Southern Maryland. An Internet Point of Presence (POP) will be located in each county along this new fiber line, focusing on connecting business and industrial parks.

The need for broadband on the Eastern Shore and Southern Maryland was a key finding in the Maryland Technology Development Corporation’s (TEDCO) 2003 report. Despite the fact that Maryland ranks above most states in both the deployment and usage of information and communication technologies, the report found that households and businesses in Western Maryland, Southern Maryland and the Eastern Shore lag behind other areas in their rate of access and usage of high-speed communications.

The first recommendation in the final report was to create a statewide Task Force to address these disparities. During the 2003 General Assembly session, the Task Force for the Deployment of Broadband in Rural Maryland was established.

The Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED) along with the Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO), the Tri-County Council of the Lower Eastern Shore and the Mid-Shore Regional Council partnered on this effort, which resulted in the passage of the Rural Broadband Communications bill.

Source: Maryland Governor

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