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Accokeek resident Margaret Schmid gets the Internet at home through a dial-up connection, but she drives to a nearby public library and sits in her car with her laptop when she needs to download big files or visit Web sites with graphics and videos.

Schmid, like many south county residents, said she has been frustrated in recent years by the lack of Internet access options in her area. Several companies, such as Verizon and Comcast, have brought broadband service to denser areas in Prince George's County — offering speeds anywhere between 17 and 900 times faster than dial-up — but Schmid and other residents throughout south county said those services are not offered in many of the county's rural areas.

"People like us are the victims," she said. "How do people live and participate in this economy? How can kids get an education? What if you're out of work and you want to look for a job? How can you do it? You can't function."

On Feb. 26, County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D) announced that the county was pursuing three opportunities to expand high-speed, broadband access in underserved areas, especially in south county. According to a Federal Communications Commission announcement Monday about a nationwide push to expand broadband access, an estimated 100 million Americans do not have broadband at home.

"When people don't have these accesses, it's almost like they're disconnected from the rest of the world," said Tanya Gott, director of the county's Office of Information Technology and Communication, who added that the county's own Web site is best accessed with a high-speed connection.

The three initiatives Johnson has proposed involve competing with other jurisdictions nationwide for federal and private funding. For the first, known as the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program, the county joined with nine other Maryland jurisdictions to apply for $100 million in federal stimulus funding. Gott said they found out March 2 that their application was denied but added that they plan to apply again during the second round sometime later this year.

The county has also announced a partnership with Hughes Network Systems to bring satellite Internet service to underserved areas. Hughes is applying for a separate federal grant that would allow them to provide free equipment and discounted service.

Finally, the county is applying to be part of a new project sponsored by Google that would build broadband infrastructure and offer what it describes as "ultra high-speed" access.

Communities and local governments around the country can apply by March 26 to be part of the program, but a Google spokesperson said they do not know yet how many will be chosen or when they will be announced.

Gott said the low density of rural communities makes it costly for providers to build broadband infrastructure, such as underground fiber optic wires or above-ground cables.

Satellite dishes can service isolated homes, but Judy Blake, a spokeswoman for Germantown-based satellite Internet provider Hughes Network Systems, said dishes do not work in wooded areas that block the incoming signal from the satellite in space. Satellite service can also cost more than other broadband providers, according to a comparison of several satellite and broadband service providers.

Cheltenham resident Laszlo Payerle said that he can only get dial-up.

"Anything that has video and pop-ups, anything that's moving, it takes forever," he said. "Friends ... send me things that might have a two-minute clip they wanted me to see, it takes one and a half hours to bring it up."

Brandywine resident Kevin Lighty bought his home nearly five years ago with the belief that high-speed broadband would soon be available, but said it never came. Lighty, who runs a home-based business, said he uses a satellite Internet provider that is faster than dial-up but slower than other options.

"Our productivity has decreased by between 30 and 35 percent," Lighty said of his business. "I'm an individual that multitasks, on my screen I would have four or five windows open at a time ... what ends up happening is there's a lag."