County MOU Seeks Internet Competition

St. Mary’s  County commissioners approved a Memorandum of Understanding with ThinkBig Networks, LLC, to provide county residents in the service area a choice when considering the purchase of Broadband Service.

The public-private partnership for fiber-to-the-home broadband service from ThinkBig will expand service offerings in the county and is a result of collaboration with the Department of Information Technology, other county departments and the provider.

Bob Kelly, Chief Information Officer, addressed the Commissioners Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2022, at the regular business meeting and said about ThinkBig, “I think they are very eager to come into the county.”

Commissioner President Randy Guy said, “This MOU reaffirms the Commissioner’s determination to provide services to every county resident. We are committed to ensuring our citizens have access to internet services and will continue to press toward our goal of 100% connectivity across the county.

Since 2020, the Commissioners have allocated $10,013,325 to fund broadband infrastructure improvements in St. Mary’s County.

The Commissioner’s discussion and decision regarding the new internet service provider and MOU can be viewed here.

For information on the strategic St. Mary’s County Government broadband access plan, go to https://www.stmarysmd.com/IT/Broadband/.