Plans for broadband speeding up > News > News & Events > Ohio Farm Bureau Federation (OFBF)

New developments may help bring high-speed broadband connections to rural Ohioans. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act allocated $7.2 billion to broadband development.

Of that, $2.5 billion is allocated to the USDA Rural Utilities Service to disburse grants, loans and loan guarantees to rural areas. The remaining $4.7 billion goes toward grants to spur broadband deployment in “unserved, underserved and low-income communities...”

Broadband Committee presents finished plan to commissioners

The Vinton County Broadband Committee has given a yeoman's effort. That was the sentiment Vinton County Commissioner Tom Morgan shared with The Telegram as the county's broadband plan was revealed Monday during the weekly meeting of the commissioners.

The comprehensive plan involves serving the county and all of it's economic components. It is designed to help those involved with tourism, education, agriculture, medical, and also cottage-based crafters who will eventually have the world-wide market opened up to the goods and products they create...

Access to broadband Internet widens in Ohio, Connect Ohio report says - Cleveland.com

Across Ohio, 154,000 more people now have access to broadband Internet than did a year ago, according to Connect Ohio, a state-backed effort to get more people connected.

Ninety-five percent of Ohioans are able to buy Internet speeds of at least 786 kilobits per second, the speed of a basic DSL connection. That's up 3 percent from last year, a report the organization released Friday shows...

154,000 more Ohioans have access to broadband, study says - cleveland.com

Across Ohio, 154,000 more people now have access to broadband Internet than did a year ago, according to Connect Ohio, a state-backed effort to get more people connected.

Ninety-five percent of Ohioans are able to buy Internet speeds of at least 786 kilobits per second, the speed of a basic DSL connection. That's up 3 percent from last year, a report the organization released today shows.

Tom Fritz, Connect Ohio's executive director, said increased broadband availability is the result of infrastructure investments by some of the 76 Internet providers in Ohio whose information Connect Ohio collects...

Tnl-News.com - Governor's proposed budget cuts affect local libraries as their usage increases

"It has been a tough day." That is how Carroll County District Library Director Robert Antill described Monday after Governor Ted Strickland proposed Friday afternoon to "drastically cut" the Ohio Public Libraries' budgets. Antill and Minerva Public Library Director Tom Dillie are trying to grasp the ramifications these cuts will have for their budgets and, in turn, to the services they provide to the public.

Antill believes one of the reasons residents use the library's Internet access so much is because they have dial-up Internet access. He noted the library is working with the Connect Ohio project, which is the governor's initiative to launch Broadband throughout the state...

Preble County Ohio - broadband grant - | Citizens For Preble County

File 5 Broadband discussion of grant application due by June 19. Mention of Sage Cutler and Connect Ohio

File 5 14.30 minutes 3.32 MB

Cable committee hosts commissioners, officials - SalemNews.net | News, Sports, Jobs, Ohio, Community Information - The Salem News

HOMEWORTH- The Knox Township Cable Committee hosted county commissioners and neighboring township officials during an informational meeting regarding cable expansion in the township at the Homeworth Fire Station Thursday night.

Columbiana County commissioners Penny Traina and Jim Hoppel attended the meeting, as did representatives from Time Warner and a company working with the Columbiana County Port Authority to utilize excess fiber from another program, all speaking about what each is doing to expedite and accommodate the township's push toward total cable coverage...

Broadband goals identified in report / Mount Vernon News

MOUNT VERNON — The Connect Ohio Strategic Technology Plan for the future implementation of broadband Internet service in Knox County was released Thursday. Dave Davidson, Northeast Ohio Field Director for Connect Ohio, Gov. Strickland’s task force created to identify and make recommendations about the expansion of high-speed technology throughout the state, said broadband has the potential to be a great equalizer, giving smaller communities as much potential for creating Internet-based or related businesses as larger cities, while at the same time, offering entrepreneurs the lower cost of living and higher quality of life rural areas offer.

“This initiative could give this state a platform to move forward,” Davidson said. “It is something that could bring back small-town business.” Davidson said that, compared to its neighbors, Knox County is well-situated to move forward, thanks in part to the vision of John Chidester, director of the Public Library of Mount Vernon and Knox County, who started the push toward implementing fiber-optic communication lines in the county’s libraries 20 years ago...

The rapid rise of broadband

From reinvigorating our economy to transforming health care, education, and the environment, broadband-driven opportunities hold tremendous potential for all Americans. With the President focused on a national broadband strategy and our industry investing approximately $ 60 billion annually in infrastructure, the U.S. continues to be a fast-evolving broadband landscape with new innovations and expanding choices reaching consumers every day. Now, a new study conducted by Leichtman Research Group, Inc. (LRG) reveals that broadband subscriptions have spiked in recent years—with more than two-thirds of U.S. households using high-speed Internet services, as opposed to one-fifth of households just five years ago.

The study also points out the well-known challenges and economic disparities contributing to broadband adoption demographics. LRG found that 89% of all households with annual incomes over $75,000 subscribe to a broadband service; whereas 70% of households with incomes ranging from $30,000-$75,000 subscribe, and only 30% of households with incomes under 30,000 have high-speed Internet. As other studies also show, many households with lower annual incomes do not have computers, or subscribe to any type of Internet service at home. And a Pew Internet and American Life Project study revealed that, of the 25% of non-Internet users, one-third said they were “not interested in going online,” nearly ten percent said it was too “difficult,” and seven percent claimed they don’t “have time.” Meanwhile, 19 percent of dial-up users said “nothing” – not even lower prices – would encourage them to upgrade to broadband...

Columbiana Co. seeks teamwork in Internet endeavor - Local & Regional News - Vindy.com, The Vindicator

June 10, 2009

LISBON — The Columbiana County commissioners on Tuesday said that community participation in an effort to provide countywide high-speed computer service is vital.

Commissioner Penny Traina, chairman of the commissioners, sent off an e-mail stating, “Your participations is vital to the success of the county...”

PCe-CLT focusing on broadband

June 9, 2009

It's time for Preble County to accelerate the broadband availability to businesses and communities, especially to those who cannot receive broadband in rural areas.

Over the past couple months, meetings have been held in Eaton for the Preble County e-Community Leadership Team. The meetings have been a way to discuss Gov. Ted Strickland's initiative on how to better the broadband availability and use of technology toward creating a better business environment, more effective community and economic development, improve healthcare, enhance education and a more efficient government...

GAMS students awarded new computers

June 3, 2009

GALLIPOLIS — Ten Gallia Academy Middle School (GAMS) students who do not have access to the Internet at home will soon have another avenue to work on their education thanks to a statewide program sponsored by Connect Ohio and members of the Ohio Telecom Association (OTA).

AT&T, an OTA member company, donated the new computers, valued at $500 each, to ten GAMS students earlier this week. Statewide, OTA and Connect Ohio have donated more than 400 new computers to students and organizations that serve the needs of students...

Connected-nations-rebuttal - Connected Nation

June 3, 2009

Today, the Wall Street Journal printed an article regarding Connected Nation and our implied inability to map broadband availability in a trustworthy manner. This article regurgitated the false claims of Art Brodsky and Public Knowledge and portrays them as a dependable source. Connected Nation has always worked with utmost transparency and is dedicated to the mission that all Americans know the endless opportunities that broadband provides. For more than a year, we have refuted all of these claims in multiple FCC filings in the public docket last year as well as speeches, presentations and news articles. However, it seems worth addressing again in light of the recent article.

Public Knowledge’s allegations in the article can be summarized as this...

Connect Ohio seeks more computer literacy, Internet access

June 3, 2009

SPRINGFIELD — Barbara Deschapelles knows computers as Clark State Community College’s executive director of information technology. Yet, her older sister started using computers only two years ago.

A huge range of computer skills exist, she said, be it in one family or at Clark State. “We have students who have their own laptops and bring them,” Deschapelles said. “And we have others who are barely computer literate...”

GAMS students awarded computers

June 3, 2009

GALLIPOLIS — Ten Gallia Academy Middle School (GAMS) students who do not have access to the Internet at home will soon have another avenue to work on their education thanks to a statewide program sponsored by Connect Ohio and members of the Ohio Telecom Association (OTA).

AT&T, an OTA member company, donated the new computers, valued at $500 each, to ten GAMS students earlier this week. Statewide, OTA and Connect Ohio have donated more than 400 new computers to students and organizations that serve the needs of students...

Connected Nation: One Voice

June 1, 2009

Chuck Riley, from Homework Central in Findlay, Ohio, explains in a letter to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) on the impact that Connected Nation is having on Homework Central’s mission to empower children with the knowledge and tools of the 21st century.

" The mission of Homework Central, Inc. is to improve children's academic achievement by providing a literacy-rich, safe and nurturing environment through one-on-one mentoring relationships with caring teenagers and adults. […] Connect Ohio is helping us to add a computer lab to our reading room and life skills activities area. […] As you implement the Broadband Data Improvement Act and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and as you develop a national broadband plan for America, I urge you to support and fund programs such as Connect Ohio. […] Every state should have a program like Connect Ohio...”