Maryland schools and libraries will get more funding to provide more internet access

BALTIMORE - Libraries have always been pivotal to providing essential resources and connecting communities.

Libraries and schools in Maryland will have more funding to expand connectivity and close the digital divide.

Baltimore, state and federal leaders highlighted the efforts on Monday to provide internet access to more Marylanders .

The FCC recently approved new rules that would assist institutions in providing affordable internet access.

"Having access to the internet is as important as having electricity in the 20th century," said U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen, from Maryland. "Our workers need it to develop skills, people need it to connect with healthcare providers, entrepreneurs need it to help sustain small businesses and students need it to learn"

Through expanded funding, schools and libraries will now be able to offer more Wi-Fi hotspots to students and community members.

"It serves as an important piece of the puzzle, a source of funding that will help provide more access to more people," Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the emergency connectivity fund , a $7 billion program, provided equipment for students and educators to connect to the internet at home.

"Now as the pandemic fades, what hasn't faded is that we still have this digital divide," said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcell.

Rosenworcell said the emergency connectivity funding has expired, leaving thousands of Marylanders without reliable internet services.

Libraries and schools continue to fill the gaps.

"In my area, I don't have Wi-Fi," Baltimore resident Sharon Johnson said. "(Library) is the only place I get Wi-Fi from."

Baltimore resident Ronald Mott told WJZ he has home internet, but says it often fades in and out.

"If you have two or three people on a laptop doing homework, that's a big draw, and it narrows, then someone has to wait," Mott said.

Schools and libraries will be able to start applying for more than $4 million in federal funding in the fall.

"Setting our young people and communities up to succeed is important," Mayor Scott said. "To ensure that Baltimore as a whole can overcome the legacy of intentional disinvestment that far too many experience in our city."