DeWine signs broadband bill ocj.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from ocj.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
DeWine signs $20 million broadband expansion program
By Patrick Keck - pkeck@aimmediamidwest.com
COLUMBUS On Monday, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed into law a bill that could have major implications to counties like Scioto where broadband access remains an issue.
Through legislation sponsored by state Reps. Rick Carfagna, R-Genoa Township and Brian Stewart, R-Ashville, House Bill 2 creates the Ohio Residential Broadband Expansion Grant Program.
“Broadband is the great social equalizer of our time, it will bring employment, education, health care and commerce opportunities presently denied to so many throughout Ohio,” said Carfagna in a press release earlier this week. “Nearly 1 million Ohioans lack access to reliable high-speed internet service simply because of where they reside. We need to change that through cooperative efforts between the state and broadband providers, and House Bill 2 is the first step in doing so.”
DeWine signs bill on grant program to help expand broadband - Wilmington News Journal wnewsj.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wnewsj.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
DeWine signs bill on grant program to help expand broadband
May 17, 2021
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MIDDLETOWN, Ohio (AP) Gov. Mike DeWine signed legislation Monday creating a grant program meant to help expand broadband access in underserved and rural areas around Ohio.
The Republican visited an elementary school in Middletown to sign the measure, which provides $20 million this year for the new Ohio Residential Broadband Expansion Grant Program. DeWine proposed providing additional funding for broadband expansion in the state budget, and lawmakers are considering that.
Supporters of the effort say high-speed internet access is not a luxury but a necessity these days an issue highlighted during the pandemic as more people relied on broadband for remote work and school and staying connected.
Ohio Broadband Expansion Bill Heads to Governor’s Desk
The Ohio House on Wednesday voted overwhelmingly to send Gov. Mike DeWine a bill to immediately spend $20 million to expand access to broadband Internet in rural and other underserved areas.
May 06, 2021 •
Shutterstock (TNS) The Ohio House on Wednesday voted overwhelmingly to send Gov. Mike DeWine a bill to immediately spend $20 million to expand access to broadband internet in rural and other under-served areas.
That amount is expected to be augmented by some $200 million, much of it federal money, in the next two-year budget currently under debate to help convince internet providers to deploy the last mile of broadband that otherwise might not make financial sense to the company.