City spending board approves dark fiber deal with University System of Maryland

The 20-year sharing agreement allocates fiber strands to the city and university.

By:

Stephen Babcock, @stephenbabcock

Jan 28, 2016 4:21pm

Can Baltimore get better broadband access? (Photo by Flickr user Arild Nybø, used under a Creative Commons license)

The University System of Maryland and the City of Baltimore entered into a dark fiber sharing and leasing agreement on Wednesday. The city’s Board of Estimates approved a 20-year program.
A description in the board’s agenda states that the Maryland Research and Education Network (MDREN) is partnering with the City to add fiberoptic cable on North Avenue. A total of 144 fiber strands will be added, with 24 of those strands allocated to the university system. The University of Baltimore and Coppin State are two USM schools in the vicinity of North Ave.
The current fiber strands in the area are at full capacity, the records state.
We’ve reached out to MDREN and city officials, and will provide updates if they become available.

Companies: City of Baltimore

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