# Maryland Broadband Cooperative Proposes Ocean City Fiber Expansion

Maryland Broadband Cooperative and Amazon are proposing Fastnet-related infrastructure near Ocean City, including a power-feed building and an expansion of the cooperative’s Ocean City–Cambridge fiber corridor from 96 to 960 strands. The cooperative estimates roughly **$40 million** in Eastern Shore network investment but has not disclosed project-specific agreement details. The Worcester County Planning Commission delayed its recommendation until at least December, and Maryland’s Department of Housing and Community Development says it has no role in the Amazon partnership.

- The proposal is not a disclosed contract award: procurement professionals should distinguish the estimated network investment from an agreement with Amazon, whose terms have not been provided.
- Maryland Broadband Cooperative received **$14.5 million across 19 DHCD grant award entries** in fiscal years 2020–2026, but the state department says those grants do not make it a participant in the Amazon partnership.
- Contractors and network suppliers can use the proposed corridor expansion and power-feed building as indicators of potential infrastructure demand, while recognizing that the planning recommendation remains pending until at least December.

**Jurisdictions:** sled
**Industries:** Information Technology, Construction & Infrastructure
**Topics:** Digital Infrastructure, Grants & Funding
**Published:** October 09, 2026

### Government Entities
- Worcester County Planning Commission
- Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD)
- Maryland Office of Statewide Broadband

### Vendors
- Maryland Broadband Cooperative (Network operator and infrastructure owner)
- Amazon Web Services (Fastnet cable project proponent and Maryland Broadband customer)

### Sources
- [Public money built Maryland Broadband. Now the firm’s tied to Amazon’s Ocean City cable.](https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/public-money-built-maryland-broadband-163300740.html) - Yahoo