Agreement Will Provide Broadband Access to 1200+ Households in Southern Ohio

A recent lease agreement between JB Nets and Gallia County officials for the use of three county-owned towers will provide high-speed Internet access to more than a thousand homes in rural parts of the county.

JB Nets presented a broadband expansion business plan, which included Google Earth mapping of propagation studies and a business case analysis template designed by Connect Ohio, to Gallia County officials just over a week ago. According to Jake Kline, owner of JB Nets, the plan includes high-speed Internet coverage to 80% of the county within the next three years and the creation of at least two, but possibly three, full-time jobs.

“These three initial towers should be able to expand (Internet coverage) to 450-500 households,” said Kline. “However, our proposal also included 30 additional secondary towers to fill in gaps. We estimate approximately 1,200-1,400 total additional households that could receive service from us with all 33 towers constructed.”

Gallia County officials accepted the proposal and have signed lease agreements with JB Nets for the use of the three 911 communications towers, located in Gallipolis Township, Harrison Township, and Ohio Township.

“It is exciting to see community leaders cooperating with a local broadband provider to offer high-speed Internet to residents who otherwise would be left behind,” said Bart Winegar, technical outreach manager for Connect Ohio.

“The information Connect Ohio provided us was very useful in putting together our business plan/proposal,” said Kline.

According to Connect Ohio’s 2011 Residential Technology Assessment for Gallia County, only 42% of households receive broadband service to the home, significantly less than the state average of 66%.

Other Gallia County technology figures:

• Sixty-seven percent of Gallia County residents own a computer, which is less than the state average of 80% 
• Of the 33% of residents who do not own a computer, 71% claim they do not need a computer, 21% say computers are too complicated, and 20% say computers are too expensive 
• Seventy-five percent of residents access the Internet from home or some other location 
• The average monthly cost for home broadband service in Gallia County is $50.83, above the state average of $43.41 

For more information on JB Nets, visit http://jbnets.net.

Additional Gallia County technology research can be found at http://connectohio.org/_documents/Technology_Assessment_Gallia_County_2011.pdf.

Connect Ohio Shares Broadband Insight with Congressman Latta's Staff

Connect Ohio staff had the opportunity to discuss broadband in Ohio with Bethany Peck, senior legislative assistant for Congressman Robert Latta (5th District, Ohio), Tuesday.

Congressman Latta is a member of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology. Peck handles telecommunication policy for Congressman Latta and came to Connect Ohio exploring first-hand perspectives on broadband availability throughout the state, existing barriers to expansion, and what the National Broadband Plan can mean for Ohio and beyond.

Connect Ohio Technical Outreach Manager Bart Winegar gave Peck an overview of Connect Ohio’s interactive resource BroadbandStat, which shows by address what households have broadband access and those that are still unserved (according to data gathered from more than 100 broadband providers throughout Ohio). Existing barriers to broadband service in rural areas and approaches to overcoming those barriers were discussed, as well as Connect Ohio’s customized propagation studies and business case analyses available to Ohio communities engaged in finding last-mile broadband connectivity.

“I’m extremely impressed to find Connect Ohio going to every effort to help ensure broadband expansion throughout the state,” said Peck. “The organization’s reporting, county profiles, and online resources are very helpful to us.”

High-speed Internet availability’s affect on economic development was also a key topic of the meeting. Peck was happy to hear of the Every Citizen Online free basic computer and Internet training for Ohio adults and how the program is complementing broadband expansion efforts.

“I really enjoyed meeting with Bethany (Peck) and am happy she found Connect Ohio’s programs beneficial to not only Ohioans, but to Congressman Latta’s staff and possibly the communications and technology subcommittee,” said Winegar.

For information on Congressman Latta, visit http://latta.house.gov/.
To find out more about the Energy and Commerce subcommittee on Communications and Technology, visit http://republicans.energycommerce.house.gov/subcomms/subcommittees.shtml.

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.

How Connect Ohio tracks broadband availability inquiries

When consumers do not have broadband service or they are unsure of the providers in their area, they are able to submit a broadband inquiry to Connect Ohio via our website (http://connectohio.org/), e-mail (info@connectohio.org), or phone (866-881-9424). Submitting a broadband inquiry allows Connect Ohio to update any mapping errors in BroadbandStat and provide consumers with provider resources they may not realize exist in their area.

Many people may wonder what happens with all the broadband inquiries that have been gathered in Ohio. So, here’s the scoop.

Step 1: Connect Ohio staff research the address on BroadbandStat, which tracks broadband coverage and providers across the state, and notifies the consumer on providers that claim to provide service to their address.

Step 2: If a provider is listed, but the consumer has verified that coverage is not available, Connect Ohio’s data validation team travel to the location to verify if a wireless signal is present.

Step 3: If a signal is present, the providers in the area are notified that service should be available to the consumer based on the frequency present. If a signal is not present, BroadbandStat is updated and the provider is informed that its map will need to be updated to reflect the lack of service.

If no service is available, Connect Ohio tracks the information in our database and notifies providers that a gap in service exists. The more broadband inquiries received for a particular area, the more enticing it is for providers to plan an expansion project in your area!

Connect Ohio Assists Jackson County With RFP Release

The Jackson County Economic Development Board (JCEDB), with help from Connect Ohio's technical outreach team, recently released a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the construction of a wireless broadband network throughout the county.

The RFP was a result of months of planning between JCEDB, Connect Ohio, Jackson County officials, municipalities and villages throughout the county, as well as the Jackson County Water Company. Connect Ohio was able to provide data collection, cost estimates, and propagation studies in order to create a customized business model for broadband expansion in the county, which is included in the RFP.


“The citizens of Jackson County have been well served by the level of effort and dedication of resources that went into this project,” said Bart Winegar, Connect Ohio technical outreach manager. “We are hopeful that the broadband provider community will recognize the full and unified support of the county to help them succeed.”


“Connect Ohio has been an invaluable partner in the RFP process,” said Sam Brady, Jackson County economic development specialist. “Their expertise has been a huge asset to Jackson County and its project partners.”

“This has been an ideal public/private partnership at all levels with JCEDB, Connect Ohio, and our local government partners,” said Jennifer Jacobs, Jackson County Economic Development Board executive director. “This project has displayed the very best of the cooperative spirit among our local leaders to move Jackson County ahead.”

JCEDB released the proposal in an effort to expand the access and availability of broadband Internet services to commercial, residential, and publicly owned locations in Jackson County. The Wireless Internet Service Provider (WISP)-friendly RFP is an invitation to providers to bring broadband to the unserved and underserved residents and businesses of not only Jackson County, but neighboring counties, as well.

According to a statement from JCEDB, the top five most compelling reasons providers should consider responding to the RFP include:
• Single point of contact and low cost access to county-wide towers and water tanks
• Local marketing assistance and community cooperation
• Wireless propagation analysis
• Business case study
• Limited financial assistance to contribute to the project

The RFP is available for view by broadband providers at http://www.jcedb.com.


According to Connect Ohio’s 2008 Consumer Technology Assessment for Jackson County, 27% of households received broadband service to the home, significantly less than the state average at the time, which was 55%.* Additional Jackson County technology statistics can be found on Connect Ohio’s website or by visiting the following link: http://www.connectohio.org/mapping_and_research/county_profiles/jackson/.

*A 2011 Residential Technology Assessment for each county will be available later this year.

Connect Ohio Technical Outreach Team Provides Broadband Expansion Model to Morgan County Officials

Connect Ohio technical outreach staff presented Morgan County officials with a financially viable and sustainable broadband expansion model in a meeting Wednesday, March 16, at the Morgan County Extension Agent in McConnelsville, Ohio.

Following months of data collection, cost estimation, and propagation studies by Connect Ohio technical outreach manager Bart Winegar, coordinator Ira Dye, and Matthew Pepper of Chesterhill municipal wireless Internet service provider, the model was presented to Morgan County officials for review. The model leverages efforts from local eCommunity Strategy planning that began in 2009 with the assistance of Connect Ohio. Many local leaders participated in these early meetings and provided valuable input.

“This presentation was the culmination of a lot of work,” said Winegar. “I’m encouraged that county commissioners and economic development staff were present and agreed to take time to review the model.”

According to Connect Ohio’s 2008 Consumer Technology Assessment for Morgan County, only 25% of households received broadband service to the home, significantly less than the state average at the time, which was 55%.*

“This is positive for the area and the residents of Morgan County,” said Pepper. “(Broadband) adoption is not the issue. Availability is the issue.”

In a few weeks, the group will reconvene to discuss the next steps needed to make the model a reality.

“I’m excited about the opportunity and potential partnership between Chesterhill and the county and to be able to provide a service to so many unserved households,” said Shannon Wells, director of the Morgan County Development Office.

Those in attendance for Wednesday’s meeting included:

• Dean Cain, Morgan County commissioner
• Steve Hook, Morgan County engineer
• Bo Powell, Morgan County Engineer’s Office
• Matthew Pepper, Chesterhill municipal wireless Internet service provider
• Shannon Wells, director of the Morgan County Development Office
• Ira Dye, technical outreach coordinator at Connect Ohio
• Tom Fritz, executive director at Connect Ohio
• Bart Winegar, technical outreach manager at Connect Ohio
• Chip Spann, director of engineering & technical services at Connected Nation

During the meeting, Connect Ohio presented Matthew Pepper with a Broadband Hero Award, acknowledging him for the many hours and resources he donates to help other households in his community get connected to broadband, as well as aiding his local library with their computers, network and broadband connection.

Because of Pepper’s work, 50 homes in the Chesterhill area have access to high-speed Internet.

“One-third of those currently using Chesterhill wireless have home Internet businesses and there’s no shortage of people asking to be put on the system,” said Pepper. “This (expansion) is positive for the area and residents.”

*A 2011 Residential Technology Assessment for each county will be available later this year.

To view additional photos from the meeting, click here.

Connect Ohio’s Technical Outreach Team continues focus on last mile assistance

Connect Ohio now has a dedicated team focused solely on last-mile assistance.

The mission of Connect Ohio’s Technical Outreach is to provide last-mile assistance to Ohio communities who lack access to Internet broadband. Assistance may be offered in the form of: identification of unserved areas, project planning, project management, meeting facilitation, research, wireless propagation studies, RFP/RFI consulting and grant writing assistance.

“The Technical Outreach position serves to supplement Connect Ohio efforts by putting more boots on the ground to assist stakeholders in navigating through the, often arduous, last-mile-landscape,” said Technical Outreach Coordinator Ira Dye.

Technical Outreach Advisors will continue to interact with local planning teams that currently exist. The Connect Ohio Last Mile Enablement Project will provide the infrastructure assessments for local stakeholders across the state to effectively determine the best practices to increase broadband capacity state-wide.

Connect Ohio will continue projects in mapping, data collection, service area validation, and last-mile enablement efforts for three additional years, which fulfills the five-year broadband mapping program required of each state by the federal government.

State Operations Managers are still working with counties across the state, but they have a specialized focus on the state’s broadband adoption initiatives.