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Ohio Opens $250M Grant Program For Broadband Expansion Projects

Dan Konik

The state is now accepting submissions for broadband expansion projects to reach regions of Ohio that don't have reliable access to the internet.

The millions of dollars in broadband expansion money was approved in the FY22-23 state budget.

Lt. Gov. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) has said connecting people to reliable internet can improve access to jobs and education.

"It will give us the flexibility to solve problems in rural Ohio, in urban Ohio, and to invest in new innovations that can solve problems in ways that we never imagined just a few years ago," Husted said during a press conference in July after Gov. Mike DeWine signed the budget bill.

DeWine's office says there is an estimate of 300,000 households in Ohio that are not connected to broadband, leaving 1 million people without access to reliable internet.

DeWine has said broadband is just part of its targeted areas of investment, along with putting money towards infrastructure, state parks, and mental health projects.

Copyright 2021 The Statehouse News Bureau. To see more, visit The Statehouse News Bureau.

Andy Chow is a general assignment state government reporter who focuses on environmental, energy, agriculture, and education-related issues. He started his journalism career as an associate producer with ABC 6/FOX 28 in Columbus before becoming a producer with WBNS 10TV.