Trone Secures Nearly $900,000 in Funding for Broadband Expansion in Garrett County in Government Funding Bill
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 25, 2021
Contact: Hannah Muldavin, Hannah.Muldavin@mail.house.gov
Trone Secures Nearly $900,000 in Funding for Broadband Expansion in Garrett County in Government Funding Bill
WASHINGTON– Today, Congressman David Trone (MD-06) announced that he secured a historic $883,574 investment for broadband expansion in Garrett County as a part of the FY 2022 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies funding bill. The Garrett County Broadband Expansion Project will ensure that 270 households, 24 farms, and 17 businesses from Route 135 at Mountain Lake Park, Maryland to Bloomington, Maryland receive high-speed internet. The bill will be considered by the Appropriations Committee in the coming weeks and then head to the House floor for a vote before August.
Trone is a member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee and single handedly requested funding for this and other critical local projects earlier this year. Trone made these requests, otherwise known as Community Project Funding, in order to address the dire need for investment in local projects that will help lead to increased economic growth and job creation.
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for broadband expansion with many students falling behind on remote learning due to the lack of internet. Approximately 425,000 Marylanders lack broadband with most of them — more than 324,000 people — living in rural communities.
“Since being elected to Congress, I’ve been working with local leaders in Garrett County to ensure every Western Marylander has access to quality, affordable high-speed internet. Western Maryland deserves to see the benefits high-speed internet brings to a region,” said Congressman David Trone. “Internet access is critical for telemedicine, telehealth, and most importantly — jobs. This funding that was announced today is a win for investing in Garrett County’s way of life and allowing people to enjoy the beauty of Mountain Maryland while maintaining access to the essential services that broadband provides.”
Trone’s Successful Track Record on Broadband Funding for Garrett County
This is not the first time Trone announced significant funding for broadband in Western Maryland. In 2019, Trone held a roundtable in Western Maryland with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and 43 representatives from across the District to discuss how to get more funding for broadband to the district. Since then, Trone announced $2.9 million in funding for Garrett County from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that would expand broadband access to 2,454 homes and businesses over the next decade, and nearly $1 million to Garrett County awarded in the CARES Act Recovery Assistant legislation, which Trone voted for in Congress. Trone is a member of Whip Clyburn’s Rural Broadband Task Force, which works to close the digital divide in our country over the next five years.
Congressman David Trone was elected to the House of Representatives in November 2018 to serve the 6th District of Maryland, which includes all or part of Montgomery, Frederick, Washington, Allegany, and Garrett Counties. Trone serves on the Appropriations, Veterans’ Affairs, and Joint Economic Committees in the 117th Congress and previously served on the Education and Labor and Foreign Affairs Committees. In Congress, Trone is fighting to make progress on issues that matter to Marylanders, including the mental health and addiction crises, criminal justice reform, and funding for medical research.
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