Rural America cannot remain disconnected

Billions have been spent on rural broadband,
yet reliable service remains out of reach for millions.

BROADBAND ACCESS FOR TODAY AND TOMORROW

Our region’s economic, educational, and cultural well being depend on everyone having access to affordable high-speed internet. Government broadband expansion programs must replace outdated rural infrastructure with technology that can meet the needs of today and the demands of the next 30 years.

Ohio map showing 75% of populated acres and 32% of households are unserved

OHIO'S DIGITAL DESERT

75% of the region is unserved

One third of households in Appalachian Ohio do have access to FCC minimum broadband speeds of 25/3 Mbps, and three quarters of the region’s populated area is unserved.

It will cost approximately $2.1 billion to bring fiber optic broadband to every unserved household in the region. Internet providers will need close to $1.6 billion in government subsidy for this to be economically sustainable.

To put this in perspective, $2 billion is what it would cost to build just 100 miles of highway. In our post-pandemic economy, digital highways are just as important as asphalt and concrete.

Now is the time to advocate for a broadband solution that will serve everyone in our region, not just today but for the next 40 years.

Take our survey

What kind of internet do you have at home or work? Are you happy with it? Can you even get internet?

Take this 5 minute survey and help show the true extent of broadband need in rural Ohio.

Run a Speed Test

Government agencies use speed test data to verify broadband availability. The more tests people run, the better the data.

It doesn’t matter if your internet is fast or slow. It just matters that you run the test!

View funding updates

The Ohio Residential Broadband Expansion Grant Program and federal programs like the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act have the potential to bring significant economic opportunities to our region.

Broadband: More towers set to go live next month as service expands

May 20, 2022

COSHOCTON — Ohio TT is continuing the wireless broadband project with Coshocton County Commissioners as more towers are poised to go live by the end of June. Equipment is expected to be on towers in Nellie, Conesville, White Eyes Township, at Coshocton County Head Start and what is known as the Stuart Site within the next week. They should be active by the end of June, said Megan Kvamme of Ohio TT. Customers will be hooked up starting in early July.

$85 million needed to bring broadband to everyone in Tuscarawas County

May 19, 2022

NEW PHILADELPHIA — A new study financed by the Ohio Mid-Eastern Governments Association (OMEGA) estimates it would cost nearly $85 million to bring adequate broadband access to underserved areas of Tuscarawas County. The study, conducted by the Reid Consulting Group, found that 30% of households in the county do not have access to FCC minimum internet speeds. The findings can arm commissioners and economic development officials with facts and figures so they've got something to show it they're talking to a funding agency

Coronavirus-related funding could help close the digital divide in Eastern Ohio

April 19, 2022

JEFFERSON COUNTY, Ohio — The gap may be closing on funding and demand for internet in the Ohio Valley. A new study from Reid Consulting Group, in conjunction with the Ohio Mid-Eastern Governments Association, shows the digital divide in Eastern Ohio remains high.

Governor DeWine, Lt. Governor Husted Announce New Broadband Expansion Projects

March 19, 2022

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Lt. Governor Jon Husted today announced new broadband expansion projects that will make affordable, high-speed internet available to nearly 100,000 households in Ohio that currently don't have access to reliable internet connectivity. This morning, the Broadband Expansion Authority authorized BroadbandOhio to award more than $232 million in grants to 11 internet service providers as part of the Ohio Residential Broadband Expansion Grant Program. The funding will be used to cover the “broadband funding gap” associated with 33 broadband expansion projects impacting 31 counties.

Broadband to expand to Fayette, 30 other counties

March 18, 2022

Ohio Residential Broadband Expansion grant funding will be used to cover the “broadband funding gap” associated with 33 broadband expansion projects impacting 31 counties — including Fayette County as well as Highland, Clinton, Brown and Warren counties.

New maps show local broadband deficit

March 16, 2022

The Seneca and Wyandot data is from a new mapping resource tool Broadband Ohio released Tuesday on its website, broadband.ohio.gov. The tool “more accurately shows how many of the state’s households are connected to high-speed internet, providing a clearer, more detailed picture of Ohio’s broadband availability gaps,” according to a news release from Lt. Gov. Jon Husted. The tool includes a statewide map along with profiles on each of the 88 counties.