“To join in the industrial revolution, you needed to open a factory; in the Internet revolution, you need to open a laptop.” — American internet entrepreneur Alexis Ohanian
MANSFIELD — Broadband internet access is becoming as essential as any other utility in today’s connected world.
But you can’t participate if there is no connection.
That’s why Richland County commissioners on Thursday unanimously awarded $2 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds to expand broadband internet access to unserved and underserved portions of northern Richland County.
The award is part of an overall $8.1 million project that will bring broadband access to 748 addresses that otherwise would have no connection, according to county administrator Andrew Keller.
The project is being done in conjunction with the Ohio Residential Broadband Expansion Grant Program and Charter Communications, which owns the Spectrum-brand internet service.
The state is providing a $2.1 million grant and Charter Communications is accounting for the remaining $4 million, including $2 million it considers to be an “in-kind donation.”
“The internet has an infrastructure very similar to our electrical grid. There’s your main transmission, then you have your branches, and then you have the end users that you connect to,” Keller said.
“The Broadband Ohio grant (through the Ohio Dept. of Development) that the commissioners are participating in would be akin to your lateral and neighborhood line that gets connected to your home,” Keller said.
The program will provide fiber-wire broadband access, but not free internet service, according to Keller, who said residents and businesses would need to purchase or subscribe to internet service like other residents.
Commissioners tentatively agreed to participate in the project with ARPA funds during a meeting in November 2021.
During that meeting, Ashley Karlen, manager of government affairs for Charter Communications, said the unserved/underserved residences in the county were primarily in the northeast and northwest corners of the county.
She said the project could also benefit future business growth in those areas.
“If a business wanted to locate there in the future, the (broadband) infrastructure would already be in place,” she said.
Commissioner Cliff Mears praised the project on Thursday.
“I think it’s safe to say that this is a major investment that the Board of Commissioners is making to keep all corners of Richland County connected to the internet and current communication,” Mears said.
Commissioner Darrell Banks said the internet access matches other connectivity in the area.
“It’s one more thing to help bring economic success to the area. We already have a fantastic highway system. Our logistics are fantastic with I-71, U.S. 30 (and Mansfield Lahm Regional Airport.)
“This is just one more thing to add. I think in today’s drive for technology, it’s a very big part. If you don’t have the right capabilities to have technology through the internet, I see a lot of people (who) wouldn’t want to go to an area like that.
“It’s like going to the desert,” Banks said.
Keller said it will open up more opportunities to work remotely and said Charter Communications is already rights to install line on utility poles. Under federal guidelines, all ARPA funds must be expended by the end of 2026.
“I’m a little biased, but I would much rather work in Richland County than Cuyahoga or Franklin (counties). And for those folks that might work out of town and yet have the opportunity to work from home, maybe this will open up that opportunity.”
Mears said countywide internet connection is essential to growth.
“Obviously, if a business is looking at relocating here, and we have some areas void of broadband, that’s not going be appealing to economic development,” he said.
“It’s an essential part of infrastructure now that didn’t used to be many years ago. We’re making sure all the the corners of the county are covered from top to bottom, left to right, or east to west, or north to south,” Mears said.
Commissioner Tony Vero agreed and pointed to a separate ongoing discussion with Broadband Ohio about a separate project with an aim toward connecting the U.S. 30 corridor going west, even into Crawford County and beyond.
That broadband connection was identified in 2022 as part of the U.S. 30 Corridor Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy.
Vero said, “Those wouldn’t be ARPA dollars, per se, but it’s enough for the state to say, ‘yeah, we’re interested and we see a need there.’
“The hopes for broadband expansion of Richland County don’t end today. They start today,” he said.
