- Maryland’s Connected Devices Program distributed 145,000 Chromebooks to low-income households to close the digital divide.
- Rural and senior communities have benefited from new devices but continue to face challenges using them and connecting to reliable internet, as funding and infrastructure lag behind.
- With the end of major federal funding programs, digital equity leaders warn that progress made during the pandemic may stall without sustainable investment and support.
During the pandemic, access to laptops and tablets became essential for work and school. But for many Marylanders, the cost was too high.
According to the 2019 American Community Survey, about 287,000 Maryland households lacked a desktop or laptop computer. Roughly 200,000 of those households had annual incomes below $50,000.
To help close that gap, the Office of Statewide Broadband (OSB) launched the Maryland Connected Devices Program in 2022. The $30 million initiative, funded through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and state and local fiscal recovery funds, procured 145,000 Chromebooks for households across the state.
“We are staring down the barrel of our ARPA dollars ending.”
Lo Smith
Counties and municipalities could apply for the program and receive devices based on the number of eligible households. To qualify, households needed to have incomes at or below 200% of the federal poverty level or participate in government assistance programs such as Medicaid or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
While many digital equity advocates across the state praised the program’s success in getting devices into residents’ hands, they emphasized that it addresses only a part of the problem. Building sustainable broadband infrastructure, teaching digital skills and improving internet affordability remain ongoing challenges — especially as COVID-era funding sources run dry.
Garrett County
In Garrett County, Maryland, Cheryl DeBerry, the county’s broadband and energy manager, led the effort to secure devices for residents. The program awarded Maryland’s westernmost county 1,900 devices to distribute.
DeBerry helped coordinate distribution events at libraries, senior centers and women’s shelters across the county. She’s received personal accounts from recipients about the difference the devices have made.
“We’ve had stories from people whose kids could now do their homework at home,” DeBerry said,” People who could start working remotely again after their last computer died … people really needed it.”
But Garrett County is still working to expand the broadband infrastructure that makes using the devices even possible, with rugged terrain and a sparse population complicating the effort.
Rachel DeHaas, who works in the senior services division of Garrett County Community Action, helped DeBerry distribute devices at senior centers. She noted it’s been slow to teach seniors how to use the devices, with many lacking email addresses or experience using mousepads. While DeHaas would like to start digital skills programs at the centers, limited funding and staff have made it difficult to implement.
Since the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) — a federal initiative that provided monthly internet discounts for low-income households — ended in 2024, affordability has continued to be a major barrier. DeHaas said she’s spoken with device recipients who can’t afford an internet connection. She’s helped some sign up for Assurance Wireless, a federally subsidized cellphone service, for those with phones, but many remain disconnected.
“The Chromebooks are amazing,” DeHaas said. “But with our senior population and what we do every day, it seems like a cell phone, instead of a Chromebook, would be better.”
Baltimore City
Deborah Eaton received a Chromebook through the program at the Orleans Street branch of the Enoch Pratt Library in summer 2024.
At first, she relied on her grandchildren for help and felt uneasy using the device. Last March, she enrolled in digital skills classes with A Prosperous Tomorrow, a Baltimore-area nonprofit focused on digital equity, and credits the course with helping her use the device more confidently.
After completing the Legacy Learners course, designed for older adults, she is now taking digital navigation classes to help others in her community.
“I want to be able to go and show someone else how to operate their laptop, so they can be comfortable and not be afraid that they will break something or do something wrong,” Eaton said.
Sustainability setbacks
Lo Smith knows what funding shortages do to digital equity efforts quite personally: Those issues recently forced them to step down from a full-time role as the Baltimore Digital Equity Coalition’s executive director.
Smith said that the cancellation of the Digital Equity Act and the end of ARPA funding will make it difficult for programs like Eaton’s to continue. They added that finding support for device repairs will be an issue moving forward.
Smith also noted that Baltimore City is likely ineligible for remaining federal digital equity funding like the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program, which helps subsidize broadband infrastructure. Many leaders have pointed out that the Federal Communications Commission’s map guiding fund deployment often inaccurately marks locations as served and tends to prioritize rural areas over urban ones.
While Smith acknowledged the importance of the distribution efforts, they noted the lack of sustainability for ongoing digital equity initiatives.
“We were hoping for the Digital Equity Act, and everything that we’ve done between 2020 and now was this belief that we were stop-gapping and keeping people alive for this big influx of funding that would come this year,” Smith said. “Instead, we are staring down the barrel of our ARPA dollars ending.”
