TOLEDO, Ohio — A nearly $100 million investment from the state of Ohio is expected to help expand high-speed internet access across the state, including rural areas where broadband is often limited.
According to a press release from Ohio Governor Mike DeWine's office and the Ohio Department of Development, the state will invest $94.5 million in funding to projects with the aim of expanding broadband internet access. The projects take aim at 23 counties in underserved areas by providing them with affordable, high-speed internet access.
Among the projects, five northwest Ohio counties are included.
In total, the projects would provide access to more than 35,000 households, the state said.
Five projects would be carried out by Time Warner Cable Midwest, distributed in the following ways:
- $19.6 million to 7,275 households in Fulton and Henry counties
- $17.4 million to 6,645 households in Auglaize, Butler, Logan, Montgomery and Preble counties
- $17.2 million to 6,053 households in Defiance and Williams counties
- $15.2 million to 5,289 households in Ashland, Erie, Geauga, Lorain, Lucas and Wood Counties
- $13.4 million to 5,036 households in Ashtabula, Columbiana, Portage and Trumbull counties.
Additionally, Brightspeed was awarded $11.3 million for broadband projects in Allen, Ashtabula, Columbiana, Knox, Mahoning, Shelby and Trumbull counties, with an aim of serving 5,053 households.
The governor's office said the program would provide internet speeds of at least 100 megabits per second.
“Having reliable, high-speed internet is an essential part of our world today,” said Governor DeWine in the press release. “Providing Ohio's unserved areas with dependable, affordable broadband access will enhance economic growth and create new opportunities where they didn't previously exist.”
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