A rare display of bipartisanship and an increased focus on addressing the digital divide led Gov. Mike DeWine to sign House Bill 2 — a piece of legislation that creates the state's first-ever residential broadband expansion program. After a previous version of the bill faded during the last General Assembly, DeWine said this law is essential for Ohio to move forward in 2021. "This is something where we have broad consensus in the state of Ohio — Democrats, Republicans, rural, urban and suburban areas," he said during a signing ceremony Monday at the Amanda Elementary School in Middletown. House Bill 2 establishes the grant program and the Broadband Program Expansion Authority to receive and review applications by telecommunication providers within the Development Services Agency, effective immediately. The law also allows carriers to use the Ohio's Electric Cooperatives pole attachments, such as wires, cables, antennas, wireless facilities etc., to more easily deploy fiber-optic internet to underserved areas.