The digital divide in Maryland isn’t just a tech issue — it’s a reflection of deep-rooted economic and racial inequalities that stubbornly persist from big cities to remote rural towns. And while the problem made headlines during the COVID-19 pandemic, many communities are still struggling to get connected. But here’s where it gets controversial: despite billions poured into broadband expansion efforts, the gap isn’t closing fast enough, and the reason may surprise you.
When COVID-19 forced Maryland’s schools, businesses, and job centers to go fully online, the essential nature of internet access and digital skills became impossible to ignore. Yet five years later, both rural and urban regions face persistent barriers to connectivity. The underlying challenge lies not only in building infrastructure but in addressing affordability, service disparities, and skills gaps.
John Horrigan, senior fellow at the Benton Institute for Broadband and Society — and author of multiple reports on Maryland’s internet equity landscape — notes that the state’s challenges mirror national trends. Maryland’s diverse geography plays a role: the Appalachian Mountains to the west, rural Eastern Shore counties stretching along the coast, and economically disadvantaged neighborhoods in Baltimore City all bring unique obstacles to internet expansion.
According to the 2024 American Community Survey (ACS), conducted annually by the U.S. Census Bureau, 80% of Maryland households have access to some form of wired broadband such as cable, fiber-optic, or DSL. Beneath that headline number, the details tell a deeper story:
- 11% of households rely only on cellular data plans without wired broadband.
- 18% of households making less than $20,000 annually have no internet subscription at all.
- 10% of households with incomes between $20,000 and $75,000 lack an internet subscription.
- 7% of households depend solely on a smartphone for all computing needs.
One of the more provocative findings from the 2024 data is the prevalence of digital redlining — where infrastructure investment skews away from low-income communities, communities of color, and rural areas. For example, although Black Marylanders make up 29% of the state’s population, they represent 38% of households that own a computer but have no internet subscription.
There has been measurable progress in some areas. In Baltimore City, where 20% of households lacked internet access in 2019, that figure has dropped to 12% today. Nonetheless, the gaps remain concentrated in predominantly Black neighborhoods in West Baltimore, as revealed by a Baltimore Neighborhood Indicators Alliance map.
Rural counties face equally stubborn challenges. Take Somerset County on the Eastern Shore — one of the poorest in Maryland — where 2023 ACS data shows:
- 16% of households have no internet at home.
- 11% own a smartphone but no other computing device.
- 19% depend solely on cellular data plans.
- Just 57% use any type of wired broadband (cable, fiber-optic, or DSL).
Horrigan stresses that affordability is a central barrier. The expiration of the Affordable Connectivity Program, which provided eligible households with a $30 monthly subsidy, has left many struggling to stay online. Infrastructure expansion efforts like the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program are valuable, but without affordable service rates, families may decline to join these new networks.
Controversy is brewing over the fate of BEAD’s unused "nondeployment funds" — originally intended to boost adoption through digital skills training and workforce development. Maryland lawmakers are pushing for clarity on whether the state can still use these funds, as there’s concern the federal Treasury might claw them back. Horrigan is blunt about it: “It’s a mistake. It’s deciding against all evidence that the entirety of the digital divide is about the network, when that is part of it for sure. But these other elements — digital skills and affordability of service — are the other key part of it.”
The question now is whether policymakers will listen and act, or whether Maryland’s digital divide will remain a permanent fixture of its economic and racial landscape. Do you think the real problem is lack of infrastructure, or is it affordability and skills? How should funding priorities be set — and who’s responsible for making sure no one gets left offline? Share your thoughts in the comments — this is a debate Maryland can’t afford to ignore.
