Connect Ohio Welcomes New Executive Director

Connect Ohio is pleased to announce Don Shirley, state operations manager - southern territory, as the organization's new executive director.

Actually, you might already know Don. He’s been with Connect Ohio for two years, and has been instrumental to the success of our eCommunity Strategies program and helped to pilot the first Every Citizen Online project late last year. He’s helped to identify opportunities for middle-mile expansion, designed last-mile solutions, provided computers to libraries and schools, helped people expand their community websites, built partnerships with service providers, participated in the creation of the first National Broadband Map, and generally helped Connect Ohio become a meaningful and important mission to advance the use of technology.

Don comes from a technology background and has an impressive resume.  

With 25 years’ experience in program management and product development within the information and communication technologies industries, his prior experience includes bringing new products to market, building high-performing teams, and founding and leading successful venture-backed startups.

Prior to his work at Connect Ohio, Don secured multi-million dollar licensing agreements with Fortune 500 telecom partners, as Director of Strategic Alliances for the North American operations of SpinVox, a technology solutions provider offering voice-to-text services.

Don has served in senior product management roles with telecom companies including Ericsson, Cincinnati Bell, PowerNet Global Communications, and PageNet. At Ericsson, Don hired and led a dedicated team that built, packaged, and sold Mobile Internet solutions to wireless carriers across the Americas.

In 2000, with backing from Ericsson, Don founded and served as CEO for the Mobile Internet startup Brightpod, where he raised $5 million in capital and built a 25-person organization before orchestrating the venture’s successful sale to a public company.

Don began his career with the U.S. Army, where he served in the U.S. Military Joint Special Operations Command. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science from The Citadel.

In his new role, Don will oversee the Connect Ohio organization and serve as the main point of contact for the state of Ohio. Alongside the Connect Ohio team, Don will oversee the relationships and projects that help bring broadband into more businesses and consumers every day. 

Please join me in congratulating Don on his new position. We’re excited about where the Connect Ohio program is going, and fortunate to have Don at the helm of a very capable and dedicated team. You can reach Don at the Connect Ohio office: 614/220-0190 or dshirley@connectohio.org.

Sincerely,

Tom Fritz, Vice President of the US State and Local Programs division of Connected Nation

Connect Ohio Talks New State Technology Adoption Trends and Last Mile Efforts at Quarterly Meeting

Connect Ohio’s 2011 second quarter Technology Association Meeting was held Friday, June 24 in Columbus and included 59 stakeholders, broadband providers, and library and community representatives. New statewide and county-level technology adoption data was released at the meeting. Through a survey of Ohio adults, Connect Ohio’s parent organization, Connected Nation, gathered detailed technology analysis exploring the adoption of computers and broadband use into households throughout the state. The last time an assessment with this detail was completed was in 2008.

Statewide data highlights:

·      Currently, 80% of Ohioans own a computer, which is an increase from 2008 (76%), but a decrease from 2010 (82%). While traditional computer use is leveling, there is a marked increase in the number of Ohioans who rely on a mobile device as their primary access to broadband service.

·       60% of Ohioans own a desktop computer and 45% own a laptop computer.  Reliance on laptop computers and other portable devices is surging.

·       Home broadband adoption has increased to 66% in 2011 from 55% in 2008. However, home broadband adoption leveled from last year, which was also 66%. 

·       Ohio’s home broadband adoption rate is above the national average for 2011, which is 63%.

 ·       72% of Ohio adults either subscribe to home broadband service or use mobile broadband service.

·       Average download speeds have steadily increased in Ohio, increasing from 1.7 Mbps in 2008 to 6.3 Mbps in 2011.

County-level data highlights:

·       In Franklin County, household broadband adoption grew from 67% in 2008 to 72% in 2011.

·       Crawford County broadband adoption grew from just 31% in 2008 to 69% in 2011, a 123% growth.

·       Meigs, Monroe, and Noble counties’ household broadband adoption growth was more than 150% between 2008 and 2011.

The full statewide data report can be viewed at http://connectohio.org/mapping_and_research/residential_and_business_technology_assessments.php.

County-specific data will be released in the next week.
 

The meeting also detailed the current status of the Every Citizen Online (ECO) program, a two-year effort to increase sustainable broadband adoption for more than 200,000 state residents by providing free computer training sessions throughout Ohio. Since the program’s launch in late December, 222 locations are offering the ECO program, more than 7,200 Ohio adults have taken advantage of the free basic computer training, and more than 8,600 have registered for training through the online site http://eco.connectohio.org/.

  

Connect Ohio Technical Outreach Manager Bart Winegar gave attendees an overview of current last-mile assistance projects in Ohio, which include the following 8 counties: Carroll, Gallia, Hocking, Jackson, Morgan, Perry, Vinton, and Washington. The last-mile projects offer assistance to Ohio communities that lack access to broadband by identifying, researching, and mapping unserved areas and interacting with local planning teams to determine the best practices to increase broadband capacity in that area. Winegar also presented details of recent broadband expansion activity.

 

View more photos from the meeting on our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.222923964409011.62465.107218675979541.

New Ohio Residential Technology Assessment Data

Connect Ohio has the privilege of providing Ohio with a valuable resource – a statewide consumer/residential technology assessment which includes county-specific data for each of the state’s 88 counties.

Connect Ohio’s consumer technology assessments examine technology trends of county residents as they compare to the statewide average, such as percentage of residents who have the Internet and/or broadband, Internet applications used most frequently, and barriers to Internet and broadband adoption. Data is collected by telephone through live computer-assisted interviews from a statewide random digit dial sample.

The latest consumer survey has concluded and Connect Ohio’s 2011 Consumer Technology Assessment will be available by July. The current assessment includes detailed data, reflecting the broadband landscape for each county in Ohio.  Though Connect Ohio conducts a statewide assessment annually, the last time that such a detailed analysis was completed was 2008.

Details and highlights of the new assessment will be presented Friday, June 24, at Connect Ohio's quarterly Technology Association Meeting in Columbus.

Early trends from the 2011 assessment reveal that household broadband adoption growth has leveled off in Ohio, which is in line with the national trend. However, the use of mobile devices as a primary broadband access is growing significantly. Overall, broadband adoption in Ohio is significantly higher in 2011 than it was in 2008. Also, 82% of Ohioans said they either subscribe to home Internet service (dial-up or broadband) or they access the Internet from someplace other than home.

Completed county and state assessments will be available at http://connectohio.org by July 2011.

Brown County Resident Able to Telework after Contacting Connect Ohio for Help

Diana Pitzer lives on the edge of Brown County and commutes to work in Mason, which is a 1-hour drive each way. Diana is a claims adjustor for a large insurance company. She has been with the company for 15 years. In January 2010, the company approved Pitzer to work from home.

“I leave very early to be at work by 5:30 a.m.,” said Pitzer. “In the evening, it can be an hour and a half to get home. To work at home was going to be fantastic — time-wise and, with gas prices, money-wise.”

There was just one problem. Pitzer’s home Internet speeds were not fast enough to meet her employer’s requirements. This news did not deter Pitzer and she sought a solution.

After more than a year of being told there was nothing that could be done about the Internet speeds at her home by the few Internet providers who serviced the area, Diana came across Connect Ohio and e-mailed a broadband inquiry in April 2011. Connect Ohio Technical Outreach Coordinator Ira Dye responded to Pitzer’s inquiry.

Dye knew Frontier Communications, a broadband service provider, was in the midst of deploying a new, upgraded network and southern Ohio was one of the first stages of this project. Dye reached out to Richard Hutchinson, a regional manager for Frontier, and Tena McIntosh, local manager for Frontier, regarding Pitzer’s situation.

According to Hutchinson, a new ROADM network was being deployed in Georgetown, near Pitzer’s home.

“To enhance its network and improve the overall customer experience, Frontier has begun deploying ROADM Networks (or) Reconfigurable Optical Add-Drop Multiplexer systems, which increase the network's flexibility and deliver higher speeds, among other benefits,” said Patrician Amendola, public relations spokesperson for Frontier.

“Tena called me and said that they would be upgrading my Internet service to a higher speed,” said Pitzer. “Then a representative came out to my house (for a field check) the first week of May.”

Pitzer brought her work computer home on May 27 and began teleworking that same week.

Diana Pitzer

Pitzer estimates a savings of $80 each week by no longer commuting to the office more than 40 miles away. She says she is also saving money by needing fewer oil changes and car repairs. But her biggest savings is time.

“I’m just very excited,” said Pitzer. “I get to sleep in. I can spend 2 more hours a day doing whatever … it’s like a raise … a big raise. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Connect Ohio went the extra mile to find someone to help me.”

“It’s a positive story and her life changed by these upgrades,” said Hutchinson. “Our network is more capable and we’re helping others. The real plan is to get there for everybody – 85% of Frontier’s network will be upgraded within the next three years.”

“Tena's 20-plus years of technical experience coupled with her knowledge of the Georgetown market were distinct advantages in providing Diana with the speed she required,” said Amendola. “While this high-speed Internet example is for Brown County, similar customer experiences are happening daily throughout Frontier's markets in Ohio as more and more customers are transferred onto Frontier's ROADM networks and enjoy the benefits of higher speed.”

Connect Ohio YouTube video PSA contest winners receive iPads

Earlier this year, the Every Citizen Online (ECO) program went viral with the launch of a YouTube video contest. The contest period ended March 22 and nearly 3-dozen video public service announcement (PSA) entries were received from throughout the state. Winning videos were chosen based on their messaging and demonstration of the usefulness of the Internet to the daily lives of Ohioans in an effort to help raise awareness of the statewide Every Citizen Online program. Winners and Honorable Mention awardees were announced April 5. The creators of the two winning videos were presented with Apple iPads and many of those involved in the top 4 videos were invited to be actors in the production of Connect Ohio’s newest PSAs, which will air on TV and radio stations beginning in July.

Winning Awardees:
             Jorge Morera, Cleveland Heights 

Morera receiving his award from Connect Ohio's Tom Fritz

Mark Van Horn, Reynoldsburg

Van Horn receiving his award from Connect Ohio's Amanda Murphy

Honorable Mention Awardees:

Bonnie Jean Connor, Westerville

Brandon Green, Cleveland Heights

Actor's from Jorge Morera's entry at Connect Ohio's PSA shoot day in May.

Actor from Bonnie Jean Connor's entry at Connect Ohio's PSA shoot.

To view all contest submissions, visit http://connectohio.org/consumer_training/video_contest.php. You can also check out entries on our YouTube channel at http://youtube.com/OhioBroadband.

Omnicity Connects Columbiana County, Dedicates New Tower

Columbiana County recently welcomed a new resident – one that is made of steel and stands 250-feet high. The new piece of infrastructure will allow more than 300 households and business in the area to receive high-speed Internet access.

Omnicity, a fixed-wireless Internet service provider, along with the collaborative efforts of Knox Township and Columbiana County officials, MARCS (Multi-Agency Radio Communication System) program staff, Tri-County Tower, and Columbiana County Port Authority, recently completed the new Knox Township MARCS tower. The nearly two-year project began in 2009 with Columbiana County Port Authority and Omnicity advocating the possibilities of broadband expansion.

A dedication ceremony and formal ribbon-cutting event took place May 31 in Alliance to recognize the new Knox Township MARCS tower, which has already been successful in expanding broadband access to residences, businesses, and schools throughout the area.

“This is the first tower in Ohio with fiber optics running to the tower itself, as well as a new technology known as WiMAX, which allows the opportunity for 4G capabilities and to upgrade connectivity speeds without replacing ground equipment,” said David Weddell, vice president of business development and corporate partnerships with Omnicity. “This represents our model for our future deployments. We’ll offer multiple services over this broadband connection.”

Omnicity is already serving 50 homes and plans to eventually serve about 300 from this single tower, as well as deploy additional towers and broadband service in the near future.

“A lot of people in this area have no Internet connection and some, not even cable,” said Columbiana County Commissioner Jim Hoppel. “This tower is a big advantage and it’s just a start. The community is very excited.”

Amy Mabbott, principal of Knox Elementary School, located across the street from the tower, shared how thankful she is for the school’s new connectivity at the dedication ceremony.

“Thank you for advocating for the families and children at Knox Elementary and for the opportunity for advanced technology,” said Mabbott.

According to Connect Ohio’s 2008 Consumer Technology Assessment for Columbiana County, 43% of households received broadband service to the home, significantly less than the state average at the time, which was 55%. (A 2011 Residential Technology Assessment for each county will be available in July.)

Not only has the tower allowed for broadband connectivity, but it has also improved first-responder communications for the area through MARCS. According to its website, MARCS is an 800 MHz radio and data network that utilizes state-of-the-art trunked technology to provide statewide interoperability in digital clarity to its subscribers throughout Ohio and a 10-mile radius outside of Ohio. The MARCS system provides statewide, secure, reliable public service wireless communication for public safety and first responders.

“Before, emergency mutual aid calls were very difficult to hear on our radios,” said Ed Reichenbach, North Georgetown Fire Department chief. “We couldn’t hear what was happening in the southern part of the county. Since the tower, our radio transmissions are stronger and crystal clear. I can even hear radio transmissions outside of the county now.”

Connect Ohio technical outreach staff had a pivotal role in Omnicity’s expansion planning for Columbiana County and was pleased to share in the excitement at the tower’s dedication ceremony.

“This project is a great example of what can be accomplished with public-private partnerships to serve the fundamental needs of rural communities,” said Bart Winegar, technical outreach manager for Connect Ohio. “Hopefully, we can replicate this model in other rural areas.”

Connect Ohio's Bart Winegar
with Omnicity's David Weddell

“Connect Ohio is providing two great things for us during this process,” said Weddell. “They are providing propagation studies and business models for us to know where to build and deploy, as well as assisting us with partnerships. Secondly, we can build it, but we need people to use it. Connect Ohio is helping with that by teaching adults how to use broadband (through the statewide Every Citizen Online program).”

As Omnicity continues with future expansion plans, Connect Ohio technical outreach staff will continue to provide assistance through propagation studies, business models, and public-private partnerships.

View more photos from the ribbon-cutting event on our Facebook page or by clicking here.