Brian Jones, the county's director of information technology, briefed the Worcester County Commissioners on May 6 on progress toward ‘‘broadband to every home’’ and summarized reports from Internet service providers working in the county.

Jones said some grant-funded builds are finished and customers are being connected. ‘‘Choptank...have completed the OSP grant from FY23 for the Germantown area outside Berlin,’’ Jones said, and a transfer of equipment from a prior provider has left several areas ‘‘lit and active.’’ He told commissioners that most remaining Choptank construction is the FY24 portion (Taylor Landing, Girdle Tree, Box Iron) and that many of those areas already are serving customers despite maps lagging weeks behind field status.

Why it matters: the county has spent federal ARPA funds and roughly $1 million in local match to leverage state and federal grants. County officials said most funding has come from state and federal grants and partnering ISPs; the take rate among customers signing service commitments is roughly 60–70 percent where the providers are offering service.

Jones and ISP representatives described two recurring obstacles: federal RDOF award areas (which carry build obligations for winners of an FCC auction) limit other providers’ ability to obtain grants for the same locations, and state right-of-way easement fees on major corridors. ‘‘We have about 3,639 customers on Route 113 that could be reached today; the problem is easement and state right-of-way fees,’’ Jones said, explaining those fees can deter ISPs from building along state-owned highways. He added county staff have raised the issue with state broadband planners and are seeking ways to reduce permitting or fee barriers.

Talkie/Talke (ISP) representative Daniel (last name not provided in the record) and other companies reported steady construction momentum in areas such as Stockton Road, Buck Harbor Road and Cedar Hall. Jones said construction sometimes shows as ‘‘under construction’’ on county maps even after fiber conduits and pull strings are in place; the distinction between ‘‘conduit in ground’’ and ‘‘lit’’ service was repeated by several speakers.

Commissioners asked about timing and supply chain constraints. Jones said ISPs reported sufficient fiber and materials on hand to finish their local projects. On the question of customer adoption, commissioners were told take rates have exceeded early expectations (initial estimates around 30–40 percent). Jones and county staff said they will provide updated maps and a clearer timeline once ISPs supply more current field data.

Ending: County staff said additional state and federal grant opportunities remain and that towns and residents can help by nominating ‘‘difficult-to-serve’’ properties for targeted grants. Jones said staff will return with updated maps and more precise completion estimates at future meetings.