broadband
USDA to spend $500 million extending high-speed internet to rural America
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will send more than $500 million in loans and grants to telecommunications providers to bring high-speed internet to rural areas across 20 states, Secretary Tom Vilsack said Wednesday. The department will spend $360 million in grants and $141 million in loans through its ReConnect Program to benefit sparsely populated communities, […]
Four states win federal grants to expand affordable high-speed internet
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Treasury Department on Tuesday announced the first state awards will go to Virginia, Louisiana, New Hampshire and West Virginia in a massive federal effort to bring affordable, high-speed internet to all American homes and businesses. Projects in the four states are the first to receive funding as part of a $10 billion […]
Community networks fill vital role in providing internet connectivity
Lack of high-speed, high-quality internet access in Ohio is a significant hurdle that negatively impacts everything from how Ohioans learn and make a living to how we keep our communities safe. This challenge has led to major investments by federal and state governments. Unfortunately, some organizations are putting their personal interests ahead of the needs […]
Closing the digital divide is an urgent need. There are immediate solutions at our fingertips
Given the pivotal role that high-speed internet played in allowing us to stay connected and continue functioning during the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become clear that it is a vital resource that all Americans deserve to be able to access and afford. Unfortunately, millions of Americans are still without this necessity, putting them at a […]
Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Nan Whaley unveils plan for Appalachia
While Gov. Mike DeWine delivered his state of the state address, Democratic hopeful Nan Whaley was in Chillicothe laying out her vision for Appalachian Ohio. She spoke Thursday alongside Mayor Luke Feeney of Chillicothe and Athens mayor Steve Patterson. Whaley’s plan would direct investments to the 32-county region in South and Eastern Ohio to address […]
Local leaders launch Broadband Access Ohio to advocate for municipal broadband services
A coalition of local government officials are teaming up in a bid to protect their rights to establish municipal broadband services. In many parts of the state, high quality internet is still difficult to come by and private internet service providers aren’t lining up to fill the gap. For years now, local leaders have been […]
Broadband program salvaged in state budget
City leaders who see internet connectivity as a growing public utility were relieved to find broadband programs and grants kept in the new state budget. The fate of the Ohio Residential Broadband Expansion Grant Program and municipal broadband programs in the state were in question during budget negotiations. In the Senate version of the budget, […]
Budget includes $250M for Ohio broadband internet expansion
Few items in the new state budget will have as direct an impact on Ohioans’ lives as the money to be spent on improving access to broadband internet, what one lawmaker has long championed as the “great social equalizer of our time.” Lawmakers agreed to spend $250 million on broadband internet expansion projects to aid […]
Ohio Senate president now supportive of broadband internet spending
The leader of the Ohio Senate says he has come around on the issue of broadband internet spending, telling reporters Wednesday he is optimistic that lawmakers can come to an agreement on investing in this public need. Leaders from the Ohio Senate and Ohio House of Representatives are currently negotiating a two-year state budget that […]
Ohio Senate leadership wants no additional $ for broadband expansion
Lawmakers from both parties had been hopeful Ohio would take a big step forward this year to invest in broadband internet expansion throughout the state. Leaders in the Ohio Senate think otherwise. While their counterparts in the Ohio House of Representatives want to allocate millions of dollars for internet expansion projects, Republican state senators want […]
Ohio creates new program to fund broadband internet expansion projects
Supporters call this a good start in providing digital opportunities for all Ohioans A student being able to finish a school project at home with the help of online research. A farmer selling goods using an online marketplace. A busy parent receiving telehealth services from their own living room. An estimated 1 million Ohioans lack […]
Legislation seeks to provide internet access in unserved areas of Ohio
Ohio legislators are making quick work on the issue of broadband expansion so far in 2021, with the goal of providing internet access to all areas of the state. A Republican-led effort is already seeing progress during the new legislative term. On Wednesday afternoon, the Ohio Senate voted unanimously to pass a bill to finance […]