Maryland Companies Aided By PORKULUS

WHO Is the Party of Corporate Welfare Now?

As the money from the two-year federal stimulus program dries up, many Maryland companies have received solid shots-in-the-arm from their multimillion-dollar contracts or awards, say executives with those businesses.

The $58.7 million grant that Hughes Network Systems won in August to provide high-speed satellite Internet service in rural areas nationwide has allowed the Germantown business to add sales, installation and call-center employees, said Mark Wymer, Hughes vice president of consumer marketing.

“It’s a nice-sized grant for us,” he said. “The program has been met with great enthusiasm by the consumers and small businesses we serve. ... They are in areas of the country that don’t have high-speed Internet services.”

While the board overseeing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds is not slated to disband for two more years, a good chunk of the money has been awarded. But many companies have not yet actually received all of those funds.

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