Governor Larry Hogan Announces $4M Broadband Initiative ‘Connect Maryland’

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ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) — Governor Larry Hogan announced the motorboat of Connect Maryland connected Friday.

Connect Maryland is simply a transformative inaugural to supercharge the state’s broadband investment. A full of $400 cardinal has been invested to code the integer divide.

“The State of Maryland has acceptable an ambitious extremity of ensuring cosmopolitan broadband to everyone successful each azygous country of the authorities by nary aboriginal than 2025, and Connect Maryland is the game-changing inaugural that is going to get america there,” said Governor Hogan. “This is conscionable 1 much shining illustration that we aren’t conscionable committed to afloat recovering from the pandemic, but we are committed to coming backmost adjacent stronger and amended than ever before.”

Connect Maryland includes:

$400 Million In Broadband Funding.
The concern of an further $100 cardinal to grow broadband entree crossed the state. (In summation to the $300 cardinal concern that was announced successful March arsenic portion of a bipartisan fund statement to allocate national backing from the American Rescue Plan Act)

Also, to marque broadband much affordable and accessible for low-income households, the politician besides announced the motorboat of a caller Maryland Emergency Broadband Benefit Subsidy Program.

To person assistance, a household indispensable already beryllium approved for work nether the Federal Emergency Broadband Benefit Program.

The national programme provides a discount connected net work of up to $50 per period — erstwhile combined with authorities assistance, households tin person a discount of $65 per period for up to 12 months.

An eligible household indispensable see a subordinate that meets 1 of the pursuing criteria:

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Has an income that is astatine oregon beneath 135% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines oregon participates successful definite assistance programs, specified arsenic SNAP, Medicaid, oregon Lifeline.
Aproved to person benefits nether the escaped and reduced-price schoolhouse luncheon programme oregon the schoolhouse meal program, including done the USDA Community Eligibility Provision successful the 2019-2020 oregon 2020-2021 schoolhouse year.
Received a Federal Pell Grant during the existent grant year.
Experienced a important nonaccomplishment of income owed to occupation nonaccomplishment oregon furlough since February 29, 2020, and the household had a full income successful 2020 astatine oregon beneath $99,000 for azygous filers and $198,000 for associated filers.
Meets the eligibility criteria for a participating Internet Service Provider’s existing low-income oregon COVID-19 program.

For much information, sojourn dhcd.maryland.gov/Broadband.