HUGHESVILLE, MD - According to a press release issued recently by the Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative, Inc. (SMECO), the Southern Maryland region may be a pinch closer to ubiquitous and inexpensive broadband services.
The press release states that an agreement has been reached between SMECO and the Maryland Broadband Cooperative (MDBC) that allows "MDBC to lease specific available spare fiber strands from the SMECO fiber network at mutually agreeable locations."
It was not clear from the press release where those mutually agreeable locations are but the fiber itself is located primarily along main thoroughfares such as the Rt 5 in St Mary's Count, Rt 4 in Calvert County and Rt 301 in Charles County.
Since Neither SMECO nor the MDBC are permitted to sell broadband access directly to the public, it would be up to regional ISPs like locally owned and operated Southern Maryland Internet, Inc (SMI) to be the distributors of the technology.
SMI was the first company to introduce Southern Maryland to inexpensive home-based internet access over a decade ago in 1996. SMI's continued survival of the incredibly risky and turbulent internet industry which has included intense competition from much larger corporations such as Comcast and Verizon is due in no small part to the knowledge and expertise of its founder and CEO, Fred Brechbiel.
"We welcome this agreement and it is our hope that something concrete will come out of it." said Mr. Brechbiel. "However, this agreement is only a single step in a series of steps that will be required to bring cheap internet to the people of Southern Maryland." According to Brechbiel, what still has to be worked out is a financially feasible way to connect this proposed fiber to the thousands of homes in the region.
According to the SMECO press release, "MDBC plans to develop broadband infrastructure throughout the tri-county area and southern rural Prince George’s county, which includes SMECO’s service area."
MDBC’s Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer, Patrick Mitchell, said, “This is a major step to facilitating a fiber ring infrastructure in Southern Maryland and SMECO has been a supporter in the region from the beginning.”
Although supportive of the effort, Brechbiel points out that "A fiber infrastructure running along Rt. 4 doesn't bring high-speed internet to the homes of citizens and businesses that aren't located within spitting distance of the highway. Getting internet to the last mile has always been the most expensive part of deploying broadband to the masses". He goes on to compare the super-fast fiber conduits being offered by SMECO to a river of water. If your farm is right next to the river, water is no problem but if your farm is a few miles inland, then you are in a drought unless you build the expensive pipelines necessary to get the water to your crops.
Brechbiel states, "Its so prohibitively expensive that even Verizon has not seen fit to invest the millions that would be required to link their considerable fiber resources in Southern Maryland to residents' homes. Brechbiel adds, "From a political standpoint, this agreement sounds wonderful. The problems start where the rubber meets the road. Unless the MDBC plans on funding the millions of dollars required to build the last mile connections, this agreement may never bear fruit for Southern Marylanders."
Nonetheless, Senator Barbara A. Mikulski touts that "Bringing the information superhighway to Southern Maryland means economic development, job growth and innovation whether you are a small business, a school, or a major employer.” She goes on to remind us that “Forty years ago, interstate highways were crucial for economic growth in our rural areas, now it’s the information superhighway. That’s why I have worked so hard to provide a federal investment to help build a broadband superhighway. I will keep fighting for the resources to keep Maryland competitive.”
A Verizon spokesperson was not available for comment before posting this article.
The Calvert Independent
