On March 18, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Lt. Governor Jon Husted announced new broadband expansion projects that will make affordable, high-speed internet available to nearly 100,000 households in Ohio that currently don't have access to reliable internet connectivity.

The Broadband Expansion Authority authorized BroadbandOhio to award more than $232 million in grants to 11 internet service providers as part of the Ohio Residential Broadband Expansion Grant Program. The funding will be used to cover the “broadband funding gap” associated with 33 broadband expansion projects impacting 31 counties.

"High-speed internet is no longer a luxury - it’s a critical necessity for everything from school to work to healthcare,” said Governor DeWine. “We must end the digital divide in our state, and by giving our rural and unserved areas access to affordable and reliable high-speed internet, we will enhance economic growth in these communities and bring about new opportunities for residents.”

The 33 awards will directly fund projects to bring affordable, high-speed internet access to more than 43,000 Ohio homes. As part of the grant process, several providers also committed to independently fund 71 other broadband expansion projects serving approximately 52,000 households and impacting 31 additional counties. 

Spectrum, Hardin Co. 

Award Amount: $6,918,100 

Number of Households: 1,749 

Project Summary: Upon completion of the proposed project build, residents in Hardin County will have access to Spectrum Internet Gig service, with speeds of up to one gigabit download and 500megabit upload. Utilizing Fiber-to-the-Premises (FTTP) technology, Spectrum is able to scale this project to support future growth to support consumer and data demands. 

Telephone Services Company, Hardin Co.

Award Amount: $4,750,000.00 

Number of Households: 575 

Project Summary: Upon completion of the proposed project build, residents in Hardin County will have access to Telephone Service Company (TSC) service, with speeds of up to one gigabit download and one gigabit upload. Utilizing Fiber-to-the-Premises (FTTP) technology, TSC is able to scale this project to support future growth to support consumer and data demands.