BroadbandOhio's Projects
Mt. Healthy Connectivity Pilot Project
Ohio Lt. Governor Jon Husted announced a broadband expansion project in Mt. Healthy that will provide high-speed internet to approximately 3,000 residents and create public hotspots around the city.
Washington County/MARCS Tower Pilot Project
Lt. Governor Jon Husted, Director of InnovateOhio, was joined by Lydia Mihalik, Director of the Ohio Department of Development, Washington County Commissioners, Fairfield Township Trustees, representatives from the Southeast Ohio Broadband Cooperative (SEOBC) and local residents in Cutler to announce a new pilot project that will expand broadband in the area to hundreds of households using local, state-owned MARCS towers.
Telehealth Pilot Project
The Broadband Telehealth Pilot Project at Switzerland of Ohio School District in rural Monroe County is fully operational after partnering with InnovateOhio, BroadbandOhio, the Ohio Department of Education, the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, and the Ohio Department of Medicaid last year. K-12 students will now have access to mental health counselors in real time. Previously, counselors had a commute of up to 60 minutes to reach children in need.
Starlink
Allen Township, outside of Marysville, Ohio will be the site of a pilot project, with the Starlink satellite broadband service developed by SpaceX, to connect select households and small businesses with high speed internet access. The pilot is part of the DeWine-Husted Administration’s commitment to bringing high speed internet access to Ohioans across the state.
Riverside Connectivity Pilot
On July 28, 2020, Lt. Governor Jon Husted announced the BroadbandOhio Connectivity Grant, which allocated $50 million in state funding through federal CARES Act to provide hotspots and internet-enabled devices to students for purchases made between July 1, 2020 and December 30, 2020. The Ohio Department of Education, in collaboration with BroadbandOhio, provided Ohio schools and Education Service Centers with the opportunity to apply for these funds through the BroadbandOhio Connectivity Grant. The grant application portal was open from August 10 through August 21, 2020. Grants were reviewed and awardees were notified on September 2, 2020.
East Cleveland Connectivity Project
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Lt. Governor Jon Husted announced a new broadband expansion project located in the City of East Cleveland. The pilot project will connect residents to reliable, low-cost high-speed internet.
Muskingum Valley Educational Service Center Telehealth Project
Ohio Lt. Governor Jon Husted visited Zanesville High School in Muskingum County to announce a BroadbandOhio expansion initiative that will connect nearly 20,000 students to telehealth services through a $1.15 million appropriation by InnovateOhio.
Student Connectivity
As schools made the decision to implement remote or hybrid learning for the 2020-2021 school year, it became apparent that schools needed additional technology resources to continue to conduct learning. BroadbandOhio helped support school districts.