Governor Wes Moore announced $19.6 million in fiscal 2024 awards through a new Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development program to help more Marylanders access high-speed, affordable internet. Home Stretch for Difficult to Serve Properties, administered by the department’s Office of Statewide Broadband, will provide internet access to approximately 2,400 unserved Maryland households in its first round.
Many unserved locations are unserved not because of a lack of nearby infrastructure but because of the difficulty and cost of installing service. The program helps address distance from broadband infrastructure or other geographic issues that may discourage an internet service provider from delivering broadband service.
“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,” said Governor Moore. “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.”
Home Stretch for Difficult to Serve Properties is part of the department’s new initiative to serve remaining Maryland households without internet access. As of April 2024, 21,000 Maryland households are unserved. Awards for the second program under the initiative, Home Stretch for Public Housing, will be announced in the coming weeks.
Both programs, funded through the US Treasury’s American Rescue Plan Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund, are the newest additions to the Office of Statewide Broadband’s Connect Maryland initiative. This initiative provides financial assistance to local jurisdictions to advance the state’s digital access efforts.
“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,” said Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Secretary Jake Day.
In the first round, 18 jurisdictions received awards, and every jurisdiction that applied for the program received funds. To view a complete list of awards for Home Stretch for Difficult to Serve Properties, visit the Department of Housing and Community Development’s website.
