Carroll County braces for broadband expansion
CARROLLTON – Carroll County has secured a $1.9 million grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission to improve internet service.
The county will use the money to install 86 miles of fiberoptic cable in areas of the county that lack adequate access to internet service.
The plan is to install the fiberoptic broadband cable in the townships of Brown, Harrison, Washington, Center, Monroe and Orange.
"These are areas that are either underserved or unserved," county Commissioner Christopher Modranski said. "They will have a whole new ability to access the world at high-speed internet."
More Carroll County news:New Sheriff Calvin Graham gets early start on career goal
The grant is through the Appalachian Regional Commission's Partnership for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization (POWER) program. The POWER program targets communities and regions that are coping with negative impacts of the changes in the coal economy.
"We helped them with the application," said Alan Knapp, program manager with the Cambridge-based Ohio Mid-Eastern Governments Association. "Broadband is very important. Businesses for sure need the internet. People working from home; how could they work from home if they don't have the internet? In this day and age, the internet is important. Farmers need the internet for what they do."
It is not certain how much of the fiberoptic cable will be mounted to utility poles or installed underground.
"That is yet to be worked out," Modranski said. "It will most likely be a combination of both."
County officials will select a contractor to install the fiberoptic cable infrastructure.
"We will have to go out for bid," Modranski said. "... I think it is a 36-month build process."
With a population of about 26,700 residents, Carroll is among the 32 Ohio counties regarded as part of the Appalachian region.
"You can't be part of the modern economy, health care or education system without broadband access," Lt. Governor Jon Husted said in a prepared statement. "This project will help build out the fiberoptic network infrastructure to connect communities to reliable and affordable broadband services."
The terrain in Carroll could present an obstacle to the flow of internet signals.
"We do have a lot of gently rolling hills in Carroll County," county Engineer Brian Wise said. "And that would affect any kind of sight communication. I know cell towers are on top of hills. If they are in a valley, they would not be able to connect. That is why they are building fiberoptic lines. That would be an alternative to cellular communication."
Brown Township Trustee John Dustman recalls the hardship some students had when they had to be educated from home because schools were closed during the coronavirus pandemic.
"I know some of the kids had problems," Dustman said. "There are parts of the township that don't have good service or don't have any. It would be like the north part of Brown Township and the northeast corner."
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Carroll County receives $1.9 million grant for internet expansion.
