The following was published by WOSU Radio on July 7, 2020 Ohio’s U.S. Senators are calling on Congress to expand broadband around the country, noting the growing importance the internet has played during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) are backing a piece of legislation that would build-up internet access in underserved areas like …

The following was published in the Star Beacon on February 25, 2020 by Jon Wysochanski  Efforts are underway to map availability of broadband across the state with the ultimate goal of expanding access to rural and underserved areas. Connected Nation, a rural internet advocacy firm, received a contract for just under $1 million to gather data and map the outlook …

The following story published by the Columbus Dispatch on March 2, 2020 by Megan Henry  When it comes to rural parts of Ohio, stigma and access to behavioral health services are two barriers parents are forced to navigate when trying to help their child. There is only one child psychiatrist in southeast Ohio, in Athens County, and two in south …

First published by Ohio’s Country Journal and Ohio Ag Net on March 8, 2018 —- While the majority of Ohioans have access to fast, reliable broadband internet service in their homes, some 1 million others do not, said an analyst with the C. William Swank Program in Rural-Urban Policy at The Ohio State University. “This unserved population largely lives in …

Connect Ohio implemented a statewide broadband training program in 2010 and continued through July 2013. The program, Every Citizen Online, provided free computer instructor-based training at public libraries, community colleges, community organizations, and educational centers throughout Ohio to teach new users how to access the Internet and how to best utilize all the Internet has to offer. Self-paced training continues …

If you believe that education, healthcare, economic development, agriculture, and public safety are important in Ohio then you are as excited as I am about House Bill 378 passing the Ohio House of Representatives by a vote of 85-11 on April 11, 2018.  All of those aspects of our lives are touched by our access to high-speed internet (broadband). But, …

May 15, 2017 Government Technology | by Theo Douglas A recent study by Ohio State University (OSU) researchers found broadband access severely lacking in the state’s rural areas, a deficit they reported could yield significant economic growth if corrected — but if resolved could also lead to other, unintended consequences. Connecting the Dots of Ohio’s Broadband Policy found that 76 …

By Amanda Murphy Columbiana County recently welcomed a new resident – one that is made of steel and stands 250-feet high. The new piece of infrastructure will allow more than 300 households and business in the area to receive high-speed Internet access. Omnicity, a fixed-wireless Internet service provider, along with the collaborative efforts of Knox Township and Columbiana County officials, …

Formed in late 2011, the Governor’s Office of Appalachia in conjunction with Connect Ohio and Chesapeake Energy established the two-year Connect Appalachia Broadband Initiative (CABI), to address the broadband divide facing rural Appalachian Ohio. The Task Force was administered by Connect Ohio and is made up of public, private, and nonprofit leaders. View a full list of the CABI Committee …