LT. GOVERNOR HUSTED ANNOUNCES NEXT STEPS TO EXPAND BROADBAND

The following article was published by the Ohio LT. Governors office on September 15, 2020.

Broadband Connectivity Grant

The K-12 Broadband Connectivity Grant was created to allocate CARES Act funding to help students gain internet access. 

Lt. Governor Husted recently announced that over 900 grant requests were approved. More than 121,000 students are expected to gain high speed internet devices in their homes, and 645,000 are expected to now have a place to go to access the internet through the creation of new public wi-fi and mobile wi-fi spaces.

Telehealth Blueprint

In March, the administration announced the launch of a telehealth pilot project with the Switzerland of Ohio School District in Monroe County. The district is a prime example of the connectivity challenges many rural schools face because of its rolling hills and great distance between buildings.

As a result of this pilot project, BroadbandOhio and InnovateOhio have authored a “Telehealth in Schools Blueprint” to share lessons learned in Monroe County with all school districts across Ohio. 

Superintendents, teachers, school leaders: if you think your school could benefit from a telehealth program, this is a guide to help you.

Streamlining Regulations

The Common Sense Initiative (CSI) has made progress toward streamlining regulations through their new artificial intelligence tool. 

CSI identified 62 words commonly used in the regulation of broadband. Those words are defined 303 times in Ohio’s rules or statutes, across 25 different agencies. For example, there are 16 definitions of public utility among five agencies.

In an effort to develop a strategy that will create a clear and concise set of terminology for broadband providers to follow, the Lt. Governor and CSI will work with agencies to streamline these definitions.

For more information please visit www.Coronavirus.Ohio.gov!