Elected officials from around Maryland gathered to celebrate completion of the One Maryland: Inter County Broadband Network. Howard County Executive Ken Ulman, Senator Barbara Mikulski, and Senator Ben Cardin all hailed the robust speed of the network. One Maryland: ICBN was a $150 million partnership involving federal, state and local governments. At the event, Dr. Mark Milner, of Johns Hopkins Community Physicians, demonstated how the speed of the network will enable cardiologists to do remote consultations of echocardiograms. ELLICOTT CITY, MD -- Howard County Executive Ken Ulman announced today that construction has been completed for Maryland's extensive broadband fiber network, and that the One Maryland: Inter-County Broadband Network is ready to provide economic development benefits, cost savings, health care improvements and educational opportunities around the State. "The fiber is lit, and we are putting the network to use for public safety, education, government efficiency and economic growth, for today and for the future," County Executive Ulman said. "The project came in on time and on budget, and it will pay dividends for decades to come -- some we cannot even imagine today." Ulman announced the completion at a ceremony at the headquarters of Ciena Corporation in Hanover, where he thanked U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin and other members of the Maryland congressional delegation for securing federal Broadband Technology Opportunities Program funding that made the project possible. "Today is a real victory for Maryland and a victory for a pragmatic, affordable solution to expanding broadband access to everyone," said U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski. "I believe this network and this technology is transformational and I believe it is a game changer to creating jobs for today and jobs for tomorrow." The One Maryland project combined $115 million in federal funds with $45 million in state and local resources to lay more than 1,000 miles of fiber optic cable in every county in the state, directly connecting more than 1,000 schools, libraries, fire and police stations, community colleges and other community anchor institutions. Fiber not dedicated for government use will be available for leasing by private companies. Ulman and Mikulski said the project was unique because it is the only one of its kind to lay fiber in every county in a state. "Maryland was positioned to take advantage of the resources offered to make this a reality because leaders, including Senator Mikulski, committed that we could not tolerate or accept a digital divide in America," said U.S. Senator Ben Cardin. "As a result, the forecast for Maryland is much brighter today." "The InterCounty Broadband Network will be a game changer for both Prince George's County and the State of Maryland that will positively impact education, economic development, and provide all Marylanders access to the newest and fastest internet technologies," said Prince George's County Executive Rushern L. Baker, III. "I want to thank Senator Mikulski and Senator Cardin for providing this incredible opportunity for the State and Prince George's County as well as congratulate Governor O'Malley, Lt. Governor Brown and Howard County Executive Ken Ulman for their leadership in bringing this critical project to completion." In Howard County, the network is already delivering improved public safety by integrating two of the county's 911 centers -- so that the second would be fully operational within seconds of a service interruption. It also supports connection points for mobile command centers in several high-traffic areas, such as the Howard County fairgrounds. Every school in Howard County is now connected to the network, and the county has already used ICBN to replace internet service and telephone service in 29 county-owned buildings, saving taxpayers $440,000 a year. "The information age is all about how this information flows and the power of these networks because they will determine the healthcare, education and jobs of the future," said Stephen Alexander, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer with Ciena. Ciena was a major corporate partner and provider of equipment for the project, and 650 of the company's 4,500 employees are based in Maryland. U.S. Congressman John Sarbanes said the project, "represents an amazing partnership of federal, state and local government and the private sector partners that stepped up to make it happen and now will help people prepare to maximize the potential going forward, especially as a workforce development tool delivering education and opportunities for small businesses to grow, flourish, thrive and hire." For more information, go to www.mdbroadband.com.

• published: 07 Oct 2013
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