E-Landscape Supports Development of Maryland’s Inter-County Broadband Network
In addition to striving to provide top notch commercial landscaping services, E-Landscape is committed to community involvement. We’ve given back to our community in a number of ways including charitable giving, sponsorship of events, and by volunteering our services. We are also proud that CEO and Partner Richard “Rook” Rogers is volunteering his time as part of Howard County Executive Ken Ulman’s team working on Maryland’s Inter-County Broadband Network (ICBN). Last summer, the State of Maryland kicked off construction of phase one of this project which will bring sorely needed broadband resources to every corner of the State.
The ICBN is just one leg of a three-legged stool that is intended to make Maryland the most wired state in the nation. Last fall, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s (ARRA) Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) granted the One Maryland Broadband Network (OMBN) $115 million. Howard County is managing a $72 million pool of BTOP funds in Central Maryland. The State of Maryland forms the second leg, and is partnering with an agency called the Maryland Broadband Cooperative (MDBC). Together, those two groups are using an additional $43 million to serve the more rural regions in Southern and Western Maryland and the Eastern Shore.
When construction is completed in 2013, it is expected that the overall project will have installed approximately 1,300 miles of fiber and delivered broadband connections to over 1,000 anchor institutions across the state including schools, community colleges, public safety agencies, libraries, government facilities and hospitals.
Once in place, the ICBN will present incredible opportunities for the State in areas such as distance learning, telemedicine, and more. It will also make portions of the network infrastructure available for private sector carriers to utilize so that they can build out the last mile to reach homes and businesses that are currently underserved or unserved by broadband.
For further information about the project please visit our website: www.onemaryland-icbn.org
