Maryland Municipalities File for Joint Broadband Stimulus
Several Maryland municipalities have filed a joint application for $100 million in broadband stimulus funding, reports Government Technology. The project, called One Maryland Plan, will expand existing fiber to schools, libraries and other public buildings, as well as connect each county’s fiber to the networks of the other applicants in the group.
It is expected that the project will cumulatively save the applicants $40 million annually after deployment, since they will no longer need to lease fiber. Some of the applying governments are considering leasing usage of the networks to other businesses, while others are hoping to use their networks as incentives to attract businesses.
The deadline for applications has been pushed back to August 20.