Lousy Internet costing health dept. thousands

Internet access on the Eastern Shore is not just difficult for rank-and-file consumers, but businesses, organizations and governmental agencies as well.

The once-mighty T1 line used to be about the fastest connection available before the advent of fiber-optic cable, available on the western shore and elsewhere for about a decade now. But those very same T1 lines, still in wide use here, are costing the state and Worcester County thousands of dollars per month for access that is costing fiber users hundreds.

“At the Worcester County Addictions Program, we have two T1 connections costing us $2,054 per month total. When we do get fiber, we expect those costs to drop to between $350-500 per month,” Worcester County Health Department Director Debbie Goeller said.

The catch is the initial outlay. Because of compounded regulations from both county and state, Goeller said she expects it will cost around $45,000 to get the new fiber connection up and running.

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