Maryland Awards $19.6 Million Through American Rescue Plan

May 21, 2024— Maryland Governor Wes Moore announced on Friday that the state will allocate $19.6 million in awards for high-speed internet access in the state to be administered through the state’s Home Stretch for Difficult to Serve Properties program, which seeks to deliver internet access to all Maryland addresses. 

The program, funded by the Treasury’s American Rescue Plan Act and administered by Maryland’s Department of Housing, is expected to bring high-speed internet access for 21,000 unserved Maryland households. It aims to connect 2,400 underserved residents to the internet in its initial round.

"We are extending broadband access to more Marylanders, meeting people where they are, and creating new pathways to prosperity for all,” said Moore in the press release.

Maryland Housing and Community Development Secretary Jake Day added in the press release that the fund will benefit the Broadband Office’s partnership with local governments and internet service providers in their effort to provide essential access to unserved homes and “close critical, 'home stretch' gaps” in broadband infrastructure. 

Since 2017, Maryland’s Broadband Office has provided high-speed internet to 52,000 previously unserved homes and businesses by investing over $270 million in broadband infrastructure and programs.