Baltimore County installs new public broadband system

Baltimore County unveiled an $18.5 million plan that officials said will vastly improve the local Internet system, provide quicker links among public safety agencies, schools, hospitals and libraries, and enhance connections to statewide networks.

The funding comes from the $115 million in federal stimulus money awarded to Maryland last month for broadband upgrades. The county will add $4 million in local spending to its $14.5 million share of the stimulus grant. County Executive James T. Smith Jr. called the broadband technology program "a real game-changer, both for enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of critical government operations and also for helping to create jobs," during a news conference at the Baltimore County Public Safety Building. "This project will dramatically expand broadband capability in this county and state, and position our country for prosperity into the 21st century," Smith said.