$85 million needed to bring broadband to everyone in Tuscarawas County
NEW PHILADELPHIA — A new study financed by the Ohio Mid-Eastern Governments Association (OMEGA) estimates it would cost nearly $85 million to bring adequate broadband access to underserved areas of Tuscarawas County.
The study, conducted by the Reid Consulting Group, found that 30% of households in the county do not have access to FCC minimum internet speeds.
More: Broadband access lacking in large portions of east central Ohio
More: Broadband access lacking in large portions of east central Ohio
Details of the study were presented to area leaders Wednesday at a broadband stakeholder public meeting at the commissioners office in New Philadelphia.
Sean O'Malley of the Reid Consulting Group said the goal of the study was to identify priority areas to be served and how to obtain the funding to meet those needs.
The findings can arm commissioners and economic development officials with facts and figures so they've got something to show it they're talking to a funding agency.
"We want this to be a planning tool for the county and the economic development professionals to make some informed decisions," added Jeannette Wierzbicki, OMEGA executive director.
The study focused on the use of fiber to bring broadband to homes and businesses in rural areas. The cost can range from $30,000 to $60,000 per mile, depending on the company, O'Malley said.
Locally, broadband service is widely available in the Dover-New Philadelphia area. Businesses in the county are concentrated there, but he noted that there are also businesses in rural areas without access to good broadband.
In addition, farmers have a growing need for broadband. A lot of milking equipment at dairy farms is now cloud-based, and some tractors use a wireless connection to help farmers track what they're doing and how they're handling fields, he said.
Commissioner Chris Abbuhl said broadband is necessary for Tuscarawas County.
"If we don't get the broadband out to the areas that really need it, we're going to be left behind," he said.
O'Malley outlined efforts in surrounding counties.
Coshocton County is spending $5 million in American Rescue Plan Act Funds (ARPA) and will be working with OhioTT of Zanesville to bring service to 15,000 households. Carroll County will be using more than $1 million in ARPA funds and a grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission to install 86 miles of fiber.
In addition, Charter Communications has received federal Rural Digital Opportunity Funds to provide service to underserved areas in southern Tuscarawas County.
O'Malley noted that since 1990, the FCC has given $100 billion to big telecommunications companies to expand broadband access in the United States. However, there are still about 800,000 households in Ohio without service.
Following the presentation, Mike Hovan, chief operating officer for Lauren International, said he thought the study was based on two false premises — the amount of bandwidth households needed and that fiber is the only way to provide service.
Lauren has invested money in Smart Way Communications, LLC, a high-speed wireless internet provider serving Tuscarawas County.
He said so much money was being plowed into a fiber solution that he questioned where the money was going.
Abbuhl said he had heard similar concerns.
Studies have shown that it would cost between $2.5 billion and $3 billion to connect all of Ohio. He said there is enough federal, state and local money available to do it.
"It needs to be held accountable in a way that we don't make the same mistake that we made before, that we lose all this money, billions of dollars that was spent, and we still aren't connected," he said.
Hovan added, "The bottom line for Tuscarawas County is you have a ton of people that are underserved and the solution that I'm worried about, that I see, just like we've seen in the past, is you just throw a boatload of money at a whole bunch of big companies that claim they're going to do it, and then all of a sudden, the money disappears. Nobody knows where it went."
O'Malley said the Ohio effort is being monitored by Broadband Ohio, a state agency — an agency he said he trusted to make sure companies that get state funds do what they promised.
This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: $85 million needed to bring broadband to everyone in Tuscarawas County
