BALTIMORE — Hundreds of thousands of people in Maryland do not have access to high-speed internet.

The Baltimore Sun reported Friday that the long-standing problem has become more acute as school and work move online during the coronavirus pandemic.

A 2019 report from a state task force estimated that 324,000 rural Marylanders lack access to high-speed internet.

An estimate from the Abell Foundation shows that more than 40% of Baltimore’s households lack access.

There are government and private programs that are trying to connect residents to broadband.

But some worry service won’t come soon enough because of a lack of funding and various bureaucratic hurdles.