State of Maryland Bridges Digital Divide with New Digital Infrastructure Group

In this week’s episode of Fiber for Breakfast, Gary was joined by Eric Bathras, the Chief Technology Officer for Infrastructure at the Maryland Department of Information Technology (DoIT). This new group, established via an executive order by Governor Wes Moore, aims to enhance collaboration among Maryland state and county entities to streamline the coordinated development of broadband infrastructure and drive significant financial efficiencies. According to Bathras, Maryland is ahead of the curve in implementing its fiber infrastructure, with over 600 fiber miles in state ownership. With Memorandums of Understanding and resource-sharing agreements, approximately 3,000 fiber miles are utilized to deliver services for public sector entities, including schools, state agencies, and the Governor’s office. Bathras also highlighted Maryland’s public safety radio system, Maryland First, which has nearly 200 towers across the state that leverage fiber for backhaul purposes, connecting everything from Community Anchored Institutions to Internet of Things devices.