Frequently Asked Questions
"Do the Commissioners or the county government decide where to expand high-speed Internet?"
The Commissioners do not have the authority to tell Internet Service Providers, private companies, where to expand their service.
The county works with service providers to help them determine where service is needed. Not being a service provider, the county develops public/private partnerships which incentivize local service providers to build last-mile connections where needed. Using these relationships allows more efficient use of grant funds and connects properties more quickly. The county has released competitive Request For Proposal’s (RFP) with matching grant funds for providers to build in certain areas. And the County is evaluating locations to publish additional RFP’s for future builds in unserved areas.
Comcast has a franchise agreement with the county and has requirements to build in certain areas meeting the franchise agreement. See below.
"What is considered Unserved or Underserved?"
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) considers a serviceable location as unserved if it does not have access to the Internet, or if speeds are below 25mg download and 5mg upload. Locations are considered underserved if service is below 100mg down and 30mg upload speeds.
"I do not currently have access to high-speed Internet, what can I do?"
Check our web page for providers that may serve your area. There are wireless options that may be available such as cell phone provider that offer Fixed Wireless Internet. Check with the fixed wireless providers available in the county (Towerstream or Telegia). Please also fill out the Carroll County Broadband Survey and provide us with your address. This information will help the county determine where service is needed.
"I have Internet service, but I do not like my provider, the service is poor and/or it cost too much. What can I do?"
The Internet is an unregulated service. The County has no legal authority over service providers. If you are a Comcast customer, the County does have a Franchise Agreement with Comcast. Certain issues may be a violation of their agreement. The Carroll Cable Commission manages this agreement and can intervene. Contact the Carroll Cable Commission if you have a Comcast issue. Even though the County has no legal authority over providers, the County does want to know about service issues and may have suggestions to help resolve your issues. Contact the County Broadband Manager. Jay Uebel at 410-386-2309 or juebel@carrollcountymd.gov.
"Does Carroll County have any programs to help me to get affordable Internet?"
The Federal Government has a program called “The Affordable Connect Program”. Details can be found here: GetInternet.gov
Carroll County has a grant program for county businesses to help with the cost to provide internet to their business. The business can be home based. Details can be found here:
"What can I do if have a long driveway that my provider said they will charge me to connect my house?"
The State of Maryland has plans to provide counties grant money for this problem. The program is supposed to be rolled out in late Summer of 2023. At this time, there are no regulations regarding applying for this money. More information will be provided here in the future as the program is developed. Contact the County Broadband Project Manager Jay Uebel at 410-386-2309 or juebel@carrollcountymd.gov for more information.
"How much does it cost to build a mile of fiber?"
Many variables determine the cost of building 1 mile of fiber. Will it be run underground, or will it be attached to utility poles, is the run going to a house or business? Roughly, running 1 mile of fiber costs anywhere from $60,000 to $100,000. To build a lateral from the road to the house costs between $1,000 to $100,000 with an average of roughly $15,000. This depends on the distance from a connection point. During a buildout such as building a neighborhood, the cost per house passed is between $10,000 and $25,000 per house.
"How many residences are unserved or underserved in the county?"
This is not as easy to determine as you might think. The service providers are not required to provide the county with the addresses of their customers. There is data available from the new FCC Broadband Mapping project, but the data has accuracy problems currently. The County is not entirely in the blind though. We know some areas where new service builds are planned based on grants the county has been involved in and calls from residents that we track. Using this information combined with the FCC data, we can create maps of known served areas or areas scheduled to be built in the future. Using these maps, we can extrapolate the gaps. The county estimates between 5,000 and 6,000 residences are unserved. About 3,000 of those unserved residences are in areas grants have been awarded. The County can really use the help of the residents by filling out the Broadband Survey and letting us know if you have service or not. This information will be used to determine where future investments are needed. Maps will be added to these web pages as projects are finalized and more information is available.
"What areas have been selected for new fiber?"
Maps are in the process of being created and will be loaded to the webpage once complete.
"What requirements does Comcast have to follow to provide service to a residence?"
Comcast is required by the County Franchise Agreement to build in each of the county municipalities and anywhere there are 20 or more houses within a mile of each other. Comcast is only required to build up to the first 300 feet of a residence from its closest connection point. The homeowner is required to pay to build any distance to the house after 300 feet.
"Has the County applied for any Federal or State Internet grants?"
"I cannot afford my Internet service. Are there any programs to help me?"
The Federal Government has created a program called “The Affordable Connectivity Program”. The ACP program will provide up to $30 a month towards your service cost. Comcast does participate in the ACP program. There could be a limit as to how long this Federal program will be available. There is a link in this web page for information about the ACP program.
"Who can I contact for more information on broadband and Internet service in Carroll County?"
Contact the County Broadband Project Manager, Jay Uebel at 410-386-2309 or juebel@carrollcountymd.gov.