Maryland Broadband Cooperative Connects Rural Counties

Rural areas are seeking to attract new folks (and keep the kids from moving away) through broadband… it allows telecommuters to have a better quality of life than they might otherwise. Certainly a “Good” paying job in the city would be a GREAT PAYING telecommuting job in a rural area. Broadband access is the weak link.

From HometownAnnapolis.com

The Maryland Broadband Cooperative has wired up nine counties, including most of the Eastern Shore, in the past year and will be burying fiber optic cable through Western Maryland during the next phase of the project. The new network connects the National Aeronautics and Space Administration facility on Wallops Island in Virginia with Naval Air Station Patuxent River in St. Mary’s County.

The broadband should create new job opportunities that will keep more younger Eastern Shore residents closer to home when they look for employment, said Sen. E.J. Pipkin, R-Stevensville.

“After they’re done with their education they’ll be able to find jobs here,” he said. “… This project holds out the hope of less traffic. More people will be able to stay home, telecommute.”