New Broadband System Coming To Maryland

Leasing office space in this economy can be a challenge, especially in older buildings, but Taylor Fields is working on getting an edge: a super-fast fiber-optic broadband connection.

"One of the first things [prospective tenants] ask is what kind of Internet service we have," said Fields, a Timonium-based commercial leasing agent for the James F. Knott Realty Corp. "They all want fast Internet."

As work begins on a fiber-optic broadband network that will connect every Maryland school, hospital, police station — and even more public buildings — businesses also want to get involved. Knott is working with a contractor in the $158 million project, and hopes to be among the first corporate users when the work is complete in two to three years.

The idea is to link more than 2,000 miles of existing broadband cable in counties and cities, creating a central electronic infrastructure that would guarantee secure communications in emergencies, as well as service in rural areas where commercial Internet providers are reluctant to go. The system also is designed to save governments millions in commercial fees now paid to telecom firms.

The high-capacity lines are expected to have a broad effect on fields including public safety, education and health care. Officials say private business will benefit, too, in the same way that development often occurs along major transportation corridors. Companies can negotiate private contracts to connect to the system, and even expand it.

Jon Johnson, who lives in a rural portion of western Howard County, wants to use the system too, so he can eliminate the two-hour morning commute to his office in Arlington, Va.

"If the broadband were there, I would be eligible to work from home," he said. Gas alone costs him $350 a month, and commercial Internet providers won't bring a high-speed computer connection to his door.

So he has to rely on a wireless "air card" that uses signals from towers just as a cell phone does. That's fine for such services as online banking, he said, but not good enough for working at home.

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