$2 million announced for Smith Island high speed internet
CRISFIELD, Md. – A press conference in Crisfield Thursday announced $2 million in grant funding for a project that will bring high speed internet to the Smith Island community. “Society, business, economic opportunity, health care. We do everything through the Internet today, everything.”
Jake Day is an Eastern Shore native. He said that from the moment he took office in 2023 as the Secretary of Maryland’s Department of Housing and Community Development, getting the people of Smith Island a modern internet connection was at the top of his priorities: “Really, since I came into office. This is one of the first things I asked about, you know, how are we doing on broadband to Smith Island?”
He said that the limited internet access currently available to Smith Island residents restricts both their daily activities and the future of the island as a whole: “You think about the residents and businesses of Smith Island, this is essentially an infrastructure access issue that holds them back in every way imaginable”
The current speeds of 10 megabits per second are too slow to support even basic video-conferencing, a staple of modern business and health. After Verizon’s 5G fixed wireless access network is installed, download speeds could reach up to 300 megabits per second. “People should be able to choose Maryland. We want them to choose Maryland, and if they choose Smith Island in Maryland, then we want them to be able to have the same basic services everybody else does,” Secretary Day said.
Maryland State Senator Mary Beth Carozza (R) said it’s about time that Smith Island got access to those basic services so many people are now accustomed to. “The infrastructure is absolutely essential and we have to fight harder on the shore to make sure we receive our fair share. And today, Smith Island is receiving part of that fair share. And we’re going to keep advocating not only for Smith Island, but for the entire shore,” said Senator Carozza.
Secretary Day said this is part of a greater plan that will bring high speed internet service to every single person in Maryland by 2030, including 21,000 without service and 10,000 locations that are currently under-served. He also noted that the project will bring higher-quality cellphone reception to the island and surrounding waters, an added public safety benefit.
Construction is expected to begin before the end of 2024 and be completed before the end of 2025.
