BALTIMORE (May 27, 2025) – Today, BGE announced the successful completion of the first underground fiber optic communications route under its groundbreaking middle-mile project, marking a major milestone in a long-term initiative supported by grant funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). The first segment completed is in Howard County, Maryland.
This first segment of the project builds upon BGE’s long history of leveraging fiber communications for its grid operations as a best practice for utilities across the country; however, it marks an important step in BGE’s efforts to secure cost offsets for work needed to modernize its communications infrastructure via the grant. The fiber network enhances the reliability, resiliency, and security of the electric grid by enabling faster data transfer between and real-time monitoring of critical energy infrastructure that has added protection from storms by being underground.
“This milestone represents more than just fiber in the ground — it’s about the lives we can touch and the communities we can empower,” said Sonya Harbaugh, director of Strategy at BGE. “We’re creating a future where our infrastructure not only powers homes and businesses, but also powers opportunity.”
Awarded in 2023, the $15.4 million IIJA grant recognized BGE’s forward-thinking approach to strengthening grid resiliency and reliability while delivering value to customers and uplifting communities through digital equity and innovation. Today, with the completion of the first fiber route and several more in various stages of design and construction, that vision is becoming a reality. Out of the seven utilities nationwide that were awarded this grant, two of the recipients are Exelon companies: BGE and ComEd.
The grant, from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Grant Program, will amount to a $30.8 million investment by 2027 in nearly 70 route-miles of underground middle-mile fiber infrastructure. Middle-mile infrastructure carries large amounts of data over long distances, increases capacity to local networks, boosts network resiliency, lowers the cost of bringing high-speed internet service to unconnected households, and helps connect unserved regions to the internet backbone.
In addition, this fiber route project will have a significant positive impact on the community. By building out this communications infrastructure, BGE is helping bridge the digital divide in underserved neighborhoods, laying the foundation for expanded broadband access and digital equity. These fiber routes help enable public-private partnerships that support internet access in schools, libraries, and community centers, creating new opportunities for education, employment, and economic mobility.
As construction continues and new routes come online, BGE remains committed to working closely with local leaders, community organizations, and technology partners to maximize the impact of this once-in-a-generation investment. By the end of August 2025, BGE expects to have 35 miles of completed underground fiber optic communications in Maryland.
Each mile built is one step closer to a smarter grid, a more equitable region, and a stronger Maryland. BGE’s middle-mile investments also support Maryland’s goals to equitably expand broadband access to all households and businesses, with targets set by legislation in 2021 and complementing programs such as the Connect Maryland initiative, to which Governor Wes Moore awarded $92 million.
The $1 billion Middle Mile Grant Program provides funding to expand and extend middle-mile high-speed internet infrastructure to reduce the cost of bringing broadband to areas that are unserved or underserved across the United States.
To learn more about the BGE Fiber Program, visit the BGE Middle Mile Fiber map, the Doing Business With Us webpage, and contact us at: bgemiddlemile@exeloncorp.com. More information about the Middle Mile Grant Program is available at ntia.gov.
