Verizon is bringing internet to Maryland residents as it deploys high-speed, fiber optic broadband internet service across the state. Nearly 4,000 new households and businesses in Charles, Garrett, Cecil, Howard, St. Mary’s and Washington County will have access to Verizon’s Fios network as part of one of the biggest upgrades in our history. This rural broadband project is built in partnership with the state of Maryland and the Federal Communications Commission to deliver fast, fiber broadband service (with symmetrical download and upload speeds between 300Mbps up to 2Gbps) to residents in rural parts of the state. The $26 million project includes $11 million in funding as part of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), combined with over $14 million in investment from Verizon. Over 500 miles of fiber—the equivalent of running fiber between Baltimore and Charleston, South Carolina—will be deployed in connection with the build.

On April 18, 2023, Federal Communications Commission leadership wrote to Congressional leadership to restore the Commission's spectrum action authority. The FCC's auction authority expired for the first time in the program’s 30-year history on March 9, 2023. "Restoring this authority will provide the United States with the strongest foundation to compete in a global economy, counter Chinese technology leadership ambitions, and safeguard our national security," wrote FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel and Commissioners Geoffrey Starks, Nathan Simington, and Brendan Carr. "To date the Federal Communications Commission has held 100 spectrum auctions and in the process raised more than $233 billion for the United States Treasury. As a result, the agency’s auction program has enjoyed strong bipartisan support here at home and our efforts have been a model for regulators worldwide...The global community will soon convene for another World Radiocommunication Conference to determine the future of spectrum policy, and we must send a strong signal in advance of that meeting of our continued commitment to lead in coming generations of wireless technologies," they said. The letter was addressed to Reps Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Sens Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Ted Cruz (R-TX).

In comments submitted to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) concerning a National Spectrum Strategy (NSS)—an initiative that plans to unify federal spectrum strategy and provide a roadmap for future allocations—our coalition is urging the Administration to recognize the value of the 12 GHz band and to call upon other agencies, primarily the Federal Communications Commission, to maximize the 12 GHz band’s usage. Importantly, the 12 GHz band already possesses a complete technical record, which demonstrated a lack of interference with incumbents and the benefits that Americans would see from unleashing more mid-band spectrum. Unlike other bands, the 12 GHz band does not require an FCC auction – which would significantly delay the proceeding – it can be unleashed with just a regulatory decision. As multiple technical reports have clearly demonstrated, the 12 GHz band is the answer to meeting ballooning US 5G spectrum needs.