Biden-Harris Administration Awards More Than $5.9 Million to Maryland in ‘Internet for All’ Planning Grants

The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced that Maryland received its first “Internet for All” grants for deploying high-speed Internet networks and developing digital skills training programs under the Biden-Harris Administration’s Internet for All initiative. Maryland is receiving $5,966,659.11 in funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) to plan for the deployment and adoption of affordable, equitable, and reliable high-speed Internet service throughout the state. Maryland will receive $5 million in Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) grants to fund various activities including: 

• Identification of unserved and underserved locations;
• Outreach to diverse stakeholders across all entities and geographies within the state;
• Increased capacity of the state's broadband office;
• Asset mapping to catalog broadband adoption, affordability, equity, access and deployment activities;
• Surveys of unserved, underserved, and underrepresented communities to better understand barriers to adoption;
• Efforts to support local coordination including capacity building at the local and regional levels.

Maryland will receive $966,659.11 in Digital Equity Act grants to fund various activities including:

• Development of a Statewide Digital Equity Plan;
• Hire and employ staff to focus on Digital Equity initiatives;
• Creation of a planning team for Community Outreach and Engagement;
• Host three digital equity conferences to seek input from local jurisdictions and stakeholders;
• Partner with local jurisdictions, anchor institutions, nonprofits, and community organizations;
• Identify, review, and compile local digital equity plans, results, and data into the state's plan.