The Baltimore Business Journal reported on March 14, 2011, that, “Howard County (Maryland) is recruiting small and minority-owned businesses to help build the state’s $115 million “One Maryland Broadband network.”
The proposed One Maryland fiber optic network will interconnect community anchor institutions across 10 jurisdictions in Central Maryland, uniting rural, urban, and suburban communities in one contiguous network across the State… To summarize, the One Maryland Broadband proposal will spur economic development and job creation, coordinate and enhance public safety communication, and create a fiber backbone and necessary redundancy for homeland security purposes that is interconnected amongst local jurisdictions and State public safety entities – a feat never before accomplished in Maryland.
When completed, One Maryland Broadband would service:
- 500 schools;
- 30 colleges and universities;
- 160 fire/police stations and 911 call centers;
- 50 libraries;
- 50 hospitals and health clinics; and
- 25 transit centers, train stations, airports, and ports.
Howard County is currently compiling a short list of local minority-owned businesses to recommend to contractors to hire from for the project. To be considered, applicants must be businesses that have “three years of experience in outside plant construction, three references of performance over the three years, and good standing with the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation.”
Apply Today
The initial due date for applications is today, Thursday, March 17th. Applications submitted after today will be reviewed on a rolling basis. To download a copy of the application, please visit the Howard County website.