ANNAPOLIS, MD (September 16, 2010) – Governor Martin O’Malley, Senator Barbara A. Mikulski and the Maryland Congressional Delegation will gather at Emerging Technology Centers (ETC) in Baltimore to announce broadband funds awarded to Maryland by the U.S. Department of Commerce. The funds are crucial to increasing Internet access and capacity across the state, helping create jobs, improve public safety, increase educational opportunities, improve health care delivery and improve infrastructure for BRAC.
The grant award, made to the Maryland Department of Information Technology, will make it possible for the State of Maryland to build new high-speed Internet cable, bringing high-speed Internet to more underserved areas, businesses and homes throughout Maryland.
The event will be streamed live to an audience of elected officials and business leaders gathered at Memorial Hospital in Easton, Maryland. A physician from Memorial Hospital will speak about the benefits of increased broadband. His remarks will be streamed live to the Baltimore event. Memorial Hospital, like many health centers, will benefit from increased broadband as it strives to implement electronic recordkeeping and the sharing of medical records in real time.
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
15 comments:
Another taxpayer funded entitlement.
These dumbocrats will pull out all the freebie givaways right before the election to gather votes.
wonder if any of that money will come to the shore. somerset county could use some help, too much of it cant get cable/broadband
Another photo op only. This dynamic duo need only to look at their own state website to where broadband access is not already provided in some way.
http://broadband.maryland.gov/map.html
With this in mind, this initiative should cost little.
So, will this actually happen, or will it be like Pres. Bush's broken campaign promise to ensure every American had access to broadband by the end of 2007? 'Cause I'm still waiting.
Because the government will have a hand in the infrastructure they will assume they have powers to then regulate it.
No, thanks. After all, what will happen if the servers all go down and there is no internet for two months? Our state, so dependent on it and having thrown away their paper and pencils will fall flat on their faces!
I hope this is for real. I think a lot of folks in the city take internet access for granted. I own a small business in rural Worcester Co. and there is no satisfactory option in my area...no cable, dish (because of trees), or FOIS, only a very weak signal on a wireless USB card. Try downloading software updates and have it take 2-3 hours, let along upload any data heavy attachments for email. It makes it tough to compete in the business world. I don't see this as an election gimmick, but as something that will help me grow my business. Isn't this the kind of stuff the government should be doing?
So what if broadband is everywhere, who is going to be able to pay for it with no jobs? Or is this another freebie for the masses who are dependent on "goverment" for their very survival because they like it that way?
No, 6:38, it isn't. Sorry. If there is a demand, supply and innovation will come. We should not be sitting on our duffs waiting for the government to come hold our hands.
If you need it that badly, move your business out of your living room and drive to work every day. If you don't want to do that, move your living room to somewhere that has service.
You chose your business. It is not up to my tax dollar to bring you anything on a silver platter.
There's always satellite if you don't want that.
Or you can let your business die and do something else...
Mr. Wells,
Do I understand that you don't want any of your tax dollars going for business infracture? So no tax breaks for industry coming to a new industrial park. And all the industrial parks should be privately funded with out government partnership. And all the beach replishment, let OC merchants pay for it or move? Be careful what you wish for, or one day you might be wanting a silver platter of you own.
Sorry Orsonwells - you're completely off base. I live in Parsonsburg and can't get DSL. Don't even talk about satellite - the cost is phenomenal compared to your bundled package. I have satellite internet and not only is my up/download data usage limited on a 30 day rolling basis, it costs me upwards of $70 per month. Comcast has cable internet less than one mile away on three sides of me but will not run it to my home. Verizon wires out here are copper and they won't replace those either. I also have to have satellite TV for the same reasons. Rural areas are at a distinct disadvantage where broadband is concerned - end of story.
I am amazed at the level of ignorance and anger displayed in some of these comments! Folks, you don't even know what this funding entails, yet you seem to know exactly why it's a bad idea and who to blame. Wow!
The Fuhrer demands propaganda for all !
"Sorry. If there is a demand, supply and innovation will come. We should not be sitting on our duffs waiting for the government to come hold our hands."
Yeah, because the Interstate Highway System built itself! No, wait, that was built by taxes under a Republican president.
Well, every electrical line in this company was built by private companies! No, wait, that took the New Deal to get most of Appalachia wired.
At least the West was settled and grew under free enterprise! No, wait, most of the water systems that allowed Los Angeles and other cities in Southern California to grow were governmental projects.
Believe it or not, the "Free market" isn't the answer for everything. It it was, 40% of Wicomico County wouldn't still be without access to cable television in 2010. The "free market" doesn't work in the best interest of the general public, but the board of directors of the companies that manipulate it. That's it.
Amen 7:01!
I will say that I'm NOT in favor of tax breaks for the companies that decide to finally put the systems in place either. They'll be taking the customers to the cleaners after it's all set up so I don't think they should be able to get government (our) money on both sides of the table.
Just wait though, you're going to see more and more "franchise agreements" come along too where municipalities and counties are locked in to a specific company for YEARS.
It's already happened in Delmar and a bunch of other small towns.
Comcast and others like them come in and demand a monopoly on service within the towns and they get it because the elected officials of the towns are too scared to stand up to them.
In turn, your rates keep going up, up and up because there's NO competition in those areas!
Anon 4;36
Amen!Some sort of universally available broadband is long overdue for us rural citizens.
Free market has failed us.Unless there are 20 houses per mile they could care less-and most of us just cannot afford satellite internet at almost $100 a month after taxes and equipment.
And if we had left electricity up to the "free market" most of the territory served by Choptank(which started under FDR's RER program) wouldnt have gotten electric until the 1970's!!!Free market only gets off its butt when it is forced to by the federal government(FCC).They need to force these companies to provide equal service (DSL,Vios)to ALL customers.Thats why Verizon still has decrepit copper wiring that causes some phones to go out in wet weather.Theres no incentive to improve anything on their part.I guess since they pay union wages they skimp on everything else!
Its frustrating as a parent when my daughter gets educational websites from school to search and work with at home and we cant even access them at home.Its pathetic that there are other countries in the world not as civilized that are way more advanced than we are when it comes to highspeed internet.
However I hope we actually see results.What is their timeline?When will rural residents be able to hook in?I just hope it isnt more empty promises.
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