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Carroll County Public Network named a Smart Cities Connect Top 20; officials highlight near‑countywide broadband progress
Summary
Carroll County officials celebrated a Smart Cities Connect Top 20 award for the county's public broadband network, describing two decades of middle‑mile buildout and an effort that has driven near‑complete Internet coverage and economic and emergency‑communications benefits.
Denise Beaver, Carroll County director of economic development, announced that the Carroll County Public Network received a Smart Cities Connect Top 20 award and presented crystal trophies to project partners.
"Carroll County was selected to be part of that top 20," Beaver said, noting the county has been building the middle‑mile network for more than 19 years and leveraged public‑private partnerships to connect anchor institutions and lease excess capacity to private providers.
Gary Davis, chief administrative officer for Carroll County Public Schools, and Jay Yubel, the county’s broadband manager, credited the collaborative structure for making the project feasible when large commercial providers declined to build out service. Yubel said the network’s current effort aims to reach every household in some form: "By the time we're finished, we have 99% of the county covered by wire or some form of connection," and "a 100% of the county will be covered by Internet of some kind or another" by the end of the buildout.
Officials said the project began as a school‑and‑library network and was intentionally overbuilt to accommodate future expansion and to support economic development. Beaver told the board the county used American Rescue Plan funding to accelerate last‑mile connections and that the network positioned Carroll County to attract additional federal and state funding for continued expansion.
Beaver and partners highlighted the network’s role in emergency management and routine county operations, and described ongoing analyses of cost avoidance and return on investment; one presenter said preliminary figures suggest taxpayers have been spared "multi‑multimillions" in telecommunications costs, and staff said a formal ROI study is underway.
Why it matters: County leaders framed the public network as an infrastructure investment that supports schools, libraries, emergency services and local businesses and helps smaller regional providers compete with large incumbents. The award draws attention to the model as a long‑running public infrastructure effort that other jurisdictions study.
What’s next: Staff said they will share the ROI and cost‑avoidance study when complete and continue last‑mile buildout work with private partners and grant funding.
