COLUMBUS, Ohio — Governor DeWine and Lt. Governor Jon Husted are teaming up to expand access to high-speed internet in underserved areas of Ohio.
The Ohio Residential Broadband Expansion Grant Program is now accepting applications online. The program was funded as part of Ohio’s 2022-2023 operating budget.
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Eligible projects will provide service access of at least 25 Mbps per second download and 3 Mbps per second upload to residents in areas that do not have a provider that can supply service at this speed.
“This program is a key investment in Ohio’s future as we work toward eliminating the digital divide in our state,” said Governor DeWine. “Connecting our rural and underserved areas with reliable internet service will help bring these communities up to speed with the rest of the state and will be a driving force for economic growth.”
Based on currently available information, 300,000 households in Ohio, representing approximately 1 million Ohioans, are estimated to lack access to broadband internet, according to a release
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“This grant program is designed to help our local private and public sector partners expand high-speed, affordable internet in areas of Ohio that are presently underserved,” said Lt. Governor Jon Husted. “To be a part of the modern economy, education and healthcare systems, you need to have access to reliable internet, and this effort aims to close the digital divide.”
Internet service providers can apply online until Monday, November 8 at 5 p.m.
From there, eligible applications will be reviewed by the Ohio Broadband Expansion Program Authority for approval and funding.
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