Tue Feb 07 2012
By CHRISTINE L. PRATT
Staff Writer
With baby steps being taken every day, Holmes County stands to benefit from a series of projects aimed at expanding broadband availability throughout the state and the nation.
Included in the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is a $4.04 billion loan and grant program to develop the infrastructure needed to deliver broadband, or high-speed, Internet access to areas that are underserved or without access.
Throughout the past year, community leaders have been meeting to discuss the issue. Among the grant applications outstanding is the Every Community Online program initiative, put forward by Connect Ohio, an independent nonprofit organization which has been working with leaders in Holmes and counties across the state to, with respect to broadband, identify the problem, needs and possible solutions.
A positive indicator of potential funding, Connect Ohio was asked to respond to a due diligence request from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.
As part of the due diligence request, submitted on June 7, Connect Ohio asked for additional computers for libraries, as well as additional outreach to Ohio residents, said Jeff Beebe, Northeast Ohio operations manager for Connect Ohio. This outreach will include mailers stuffed inside of residents' utility bills in addition to traditional media outlets.
"This will be a tremendous supplement to the adoption and awareness initiatives identified in the grant application," said Beebe.
Funding of the project would give the public access to modern equipment, curriculum development so all the locations would have access to high quality material, instructor training and technical support, said Beebe. The grant application includes a public outreach campaign focused on educating people on the relevance of broadband accessibility.
Statewide, Connect Ohio, recently completed mapping for the local community, depicting the broadband service available, and allowing consumers to quickly identify broadband service providers for their home or business address.
The initial phase of data collection for the State Broadband Data and Development Program was completed and submitted to the NTIA on May 31. Information on cable, DSL, fiber, fixed wireless, and mobile wireless was provided by companies that offer broadband service, and has been compiled into a state map, allowing consumers to easily find broadband providers that offer service at their home address.
The map is also intended to inform broadband providers and community leaders with data about unserved areas, population density, and existing service, with the goal of increasing private investment into unserved and underserved areas.
Connect Ohio will enter a second phase of data collection for the mapping project, said Beebe, noting the organization is getting increased cooperation from broadband providers in working to achieve that goal.
County residents are encouraged to review the coverage maps on Connect Ohio's Broadband Stat program to see if their residence or workplace is located within the service areas submitted to Connect Ohio, said Beebe, noting, if their residence and/or workplace shows broadband coverage, but they are unable to receive service, residents are encouraged to fill out the broadband inquiry page on the Connect Ohio website, www.connectohio.org.
The county also stands to benefit from grant money targeted at providing middle mile fiberoptics to underserved communities, he said.
Already ComNet has received $30 million in funding, plus a $12 million match, to provide just that in the state's western counties. Outstanding grants from two others would do the same and offer better access to broadband in Holmes County, Beebe said, noting that awards may not be announced until the end of September.
Reporter Christine L. Pratt can be reached at 330-674-1811 or e-mail cpratt@the-daily-record.com.
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