WASHINGTON –
U.S. Senators Benjamin L. Cardin and
Barbara A. Mikulski (both D-MD) praised today’s announcement of more than $1 million in federal funding for broadband infrastructure projects to create jobs and provide improved service in Western Maryland. The grant was awarded as part of the second round of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s USDA broadband funding through the Recovery Act.
West Virginia PCS Alliance will use a $3.3 million grant and its $1.1 million applicant-provided match to provide cost-effective high-speed mobile broadband in rural and low-income areas of an existing wireless network in Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. More than a third of the area is in Maryland.
“This grant will expand access to broadband service for rural areas of Maryland, ensuring that residents will have the technology that is needed to be part of the information, high-speed economy,” Senator Cardin said. “Internet access is critical for jobs in the 21
st Century and I am committed to making sure Western Maryland has broadband access.”
“In today’s global marketplace, broadband is what connects U.S. communities and businesses to each other and to the world,” Senator Mikulski said. “This grant will help communities in Western Maryland connect to the information superhighway, as well as improve the economic engine and support new jobs and small businesses.”
The project will benefit more than 185,000 people in three states, as well as nearly 9,000 businesses and 2,000 community institutions in rural and low-income areas.
