Sen. Mikulski Announces $2 Million to Extend Broadband in Maryland

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.) today announced Maryland has been awarded a $2 million grant through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)’s State Broadband Data and Development Grant Program. The program, funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will increase broadband access and adoption through better data collection and broadband planning.

“Forty years ago, interstate highways were crucial for economic growth in our rural areas, now it’s the information superhighway. Expanding broadband in Maryland means economic development, jobs growth and innovation whether you are a small business, a school, a major employer or a NASA Center,” Senator Mikulski said.

NTIA has awarded the Maryland Broadband Cooperative Inc. (MDBC) approximately $1.5 million for broadband data collection and mapping activities over a two-year period and almost $500,000 for broadband planning activities over a five-year period in Maryland, bringing the total grant award to approximately $2 million.

The data will be displayed in NTIA’s national broadband map, a tool that will inform policymakers' efforts and provide consumers with improved information on the broadband Internet services available to them.