DeWine signs bill establishing broadband grant program, allocates $20 million
Céilí Doyle
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.
"Yes, it’s been a long time coming, but frankly it’s been a longer time coming for the 1 million Ohioans without access," said Rep. Rick Carfagna, the bill's sponsor and Genoa Township Republican who has championed its passage.
"Broadband is the great social equalizer for our society," he added.
The bill grants the state an initial $20 million to fund eligible projects, a tiny portion of the $2.3 billion needed to cover the state's underserviced areas. The majority of those without service live in rural Ohio, The Columbus Dispatch detailed in a report in October.
Both Carfagna and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said both the bill and the administration's recommendation that the legislature spend $290 million in broadband infrastructure in the upcoming two-year state budget are among the many patches Ohio is using to fill the state's digital divide.
"I am super-excited about what we are able to do community by community," the lieutenant governor said. "We are building a quilt. We patch it here, patch it there."
While the bill is another step in the right direction, broadband advocates have concerns with the very carrier-centric legislation.
"It misses a key piece that I like, which is public-private partnerships," Tom Reid said. "The public partner can make sure the work is actually happening before payments get paid to the carrier."
Reid, a consultant with Buckeye Hills Regional Council, a southeastern Ohio coalition of local governments that serve eight Appalachian counties, said having additional oversight from a community partner ensures telecommunication companies won't skirt the Broadband Program Expansion Authority's rules and adheres to a more long-term vision.
"We really need a 30-year mindset," he said. "These really rural areas and the really teeny communities they’re not getting addressed and there’s tremendous human capital that’s not getting tapped."
A lot rides on how the state will implement House Bill 2 and whether the legislature will ultimately choose to expand funding as they reconcile the finances of the upcoming budget with DeWine and Husted's recommendations.
"It can’t be a patchwork," Reid said. "The reality is if we don’t do it rural America is second class forever and I just think that’s really sad for the country."
Céilí Doyle is a Report for America corps member and covers rural issues in Ohio for The Dispatch. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation at https://bit.ly/3fNsGaZ.