New Maryland county grant tackles the ‘long driveway’ broadband gap

Of the numerous challenges that confront broadband expansion in rural areas, long driveways stand as an additional challenge. However, Charles County in Maryland is leading the charge to tackle the issue head-on. The county’s work started several years ago when it established a Rural Broadband Taskforce aimed at closing the connectivity gap there. In 2019, the task force hired a consultant to help it develop a Broadband Strategic Plan, which was subsequently approved in early 2020. That plan identified the unserved residents in the county and grouped them into one of three categories: those in contiguous unserved areas (Category 1), those in unserved pockets (Category 2), and locations set so far back from the road that service providers are unwilling to reach them unless the homeowners share the cost (Category 3). Evelyn Jacobson, the county’s Chief Information Officer, said homes with long driveways account for about 30% of the approximately 4,800 unserved homes in Charles County. As noted in the Broadband Strategic Plan, however, these “homes are not considered ‘unserved’ under federal and state definitions,” a status which can be immensely frustrating for residents. Jacobson said the county has spent the past couple of years leveraging American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to address locations in Categories 1 and 2. Now, using the aforementioned ARPA funding, Charles County is offering grants of up to $15,000 to help Category 3 residents get service.