DAYTON — Ohio Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted and local leaders have announced a project that hopes to expand the access to high speed internet in Dayton.
The state of Ohio and BroadbandOhio has provided $250,000 in funding to be used to provide high speed internet to three community recreation centers in the city, according to a release.
The three community recreation centers selected are Greater Dayton Recreation Center, the Lohrey Recreation Center, and the Northwest Recreation Center. All are open to the public and free to enter.
Dayton City Commissioner Matt Joseph previously said that almost half of the people in the city do not have access to high speed internet.
“A little more than 40 percent of people in the city don’t have access to broadband speed internet, they’re using dial up,” Joseph said.
This project hopes to allow the City of Dayton Department of Recreation to offer visitors Wi-Fi access to use their own electronic devices, create education resources for students using laptops and provide educational support for afterschool and summer camp programming.
“You cannot be a part of the modern economy without access to high-speed internet,” Husted said in a release. “This administration has continued to close the digital divide in Ohio’s rural and suburban areas, and here in our urban areas. This project will give people in the community a place to go to access online services for completing job applications, finishing homework, or taking classes.”
Additional information about the initiative can be found here.