USDA Invests More Than $13 Million in High-Speed Broadband in Rural Maryland

The Trump Administration announced that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing more than $13 million to provide broadband service in unserved and underserved rural areas in Maryland. This investment is part of the $100 million in grant funding made available for the ReConnect Pilot Program through the CARES Act. In rural Maryland, Easton Utilities Commission will use a $13.1 million grant to deploy a fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) network to connect 8,607 people, 144 farms, 183 businesses, eight educational facilities and one nursing home to high-speed broadband internet in Talbot County. USDA received 11 Round Two ReConnect Program applications that are eligible for the $100 million Congress allocated to the program through the CARES Act. More investments made possible with these resources will be announced in the coming weeks.