Spectrum expands broadband access in rural areas of southern Tuscarawas County

Jon Baker, The Times-Reporter
·2 min read

GNADENHUTTEN ‒ Spectrum has expanded internet, mobile phone, TV and voice services to 780 houses and small businesses in rural parts of southern Tuscarawas County ‒ areas where such services have long been unavailable.

These services are now available in Clay, Oxford, Perry, Rush, Salem and Washington townships through Spectrum's newly constructed fiber optic network.

More on broadband: 'Transformational day.' Broadband tower to bring high-speed internet to Sugarcreek area

Brian Young, director of Government Affairs for Spectrum, talks Friday at an event at Indian Valley High School in Gnadenhutten about his company's plans to expand broadband access to rural areas of Tuscarawas County.
Brian Young, director of Government Affairs for Spectrum, talks Friday at an event at Indian Valley High School in Gnadenhutten about his company's plans to expand broadband access to rural areas of Tuscarawas County.

"The company really is looking to get services out to these more rural parts of the state," said Brian Young, director of government affairs for Spectrum, at an event Friday at Indian Valley High School in Gnadenhutten.

The company plans to provide broadband services to around 3,600 locations in various parts of Tuscarawas County over the next two years. It is also expanding service in Coshocton, Guernsey and Carroll counties.

The project is being paid for in part with money from the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund, a program of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Spectrum bid on locations around the country where broadband is lacking, and it won a little more than 1 million, including 115,000 in Ohio. To do the work, the company is receiving about $1 billion from the federal government. Spectrum is putting in $4 billion of its own money, Young said.

Connectivity is an issue

Indian Valley Superintendent Ira Wentworth spoke on the importance of broadband access for students and residents of his district, which covers 125 square miles in Tuscarawas County.

"There's a lot, not just in the southern half, but in the northern half there's some hollers, there's some valleys that don't have good access to an internet signal," he said.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, when students were working from home, connectivity was a challenge. For many Indian Valley students today, it remains a challenge, he said.

There are a few hot spots in the districts for students whose families can't afford internet service.

"Sometimes we have to prop it up in the windowsill on the second story and make sure the student sits next to the hot spot to be able to do their work. Not the most ideal of learning conditions, right? Having broadband access to be able to connect to is going to be a tremendous benefit to all of our families from an educational standpoint," Wentworth said.

Assistance is available for residents who cannot afford internet through the FCC's Affordable Connectivity Program. Those who qualify receive a $30 a month reimbursement. Young noted that Spectrum offers a $30 a month high-speed service, which means that these customers would be getting free internet.

During the program, Spectrum also donated $2,500 to the Indian Valley Foundation to be used for scholarships.

Reach Jon at 330-364-8415 or at jon.baker@timesreporter.com.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Jeffersonian: Spectrum expanding broadband access in southern Tuscarawas County