Phone company gets $4.3 million in stimulus dollars

A local telephone company was awarded $4.3 million to expand broadband (high-speed) service in the Fort Recovery area. Wabash Mutual Telephone Co. was the largest recipient of the nearly $10 million awarded to three Ohio broadband service providers. The local cooperative company intends to use the funds to provide a fiber optic network for digital television, high-speed Internet and telephone service in the southern portion of the county.

Mercer County commissioners and other top officials in the area have been working the last year with Connect Ohio, a non-profit group hired by the state in December 2007 to promote broadband Internet coverage and utilization in all 88 counties. Periodic meetings have been held in the county to pinpoint needs and develop plans of action...