State invests $94.5 million to expand broadband access including in Lorain County

Lorain County households are among those expected to benefit from nearly $15.3 million in state funding given to Time Warner Cable Midwest to expand the availability of high-speed internet in the county and surrounding area. The money is part of a grant to Time Warner to expand affordable, high-speed broadband internet access to nearly 5,300 households in a six-county area including Lorain County, state officials announced Wednesday. Once the project is done, residents in those six counties will get access to reliable high-speed internet using using fiber-to-the-premises or FTTP technology capable of delivering 1 gigabit symmetrical speeds, state officials said. Time Warner Cable Midwest got a total of $83,141,280 for five projects — including $15,287,761 to provide high-speed internet access to 5,289 households across Lorain, Ashland, Erie, Geauga, Lucas and Wood counties. The funding is a portion of $94.5 million announced by Gov. Mike DeWine, Lt. Gov. Jon Husted and Ohio Department of Development Director Lydia Mihalik. It is part of the second round of Ohio Residential Broadband Expansion Grants, or ORBEG program, that the Broadband Expansion Authority authorized BroadbandOhio to provide to Time Warner Cable Midwest and also Brightspeed in other areas of the state. Time Warner Cable Midwest has made a two-year commitment to the project in Lorain County. A message seeking comment on the program was left Wednesday for a county official. The program is designed to provide internet service with speeds of at least 100/100 megabits per second, or Mbps, to households. Funding came from American Rescue Plan Act funds. "Having reliable, high-speed internet is an essential part of our world today," DeWine said. "Providing Ohio's unserved areas with dependable, affordable broadband access will enhance economic growth and create new opportunities where they didn't previously exist. "Having grown up in rural Ohio, I know firsthand how limited technology access can make people feel left behind when it comes to opportunities," Husted said. "We are changing that in Ohio." "We hear from local leaders and residents every day about how important it is that they get connected," Mihalik said. "Through this funding, we're moving another step closer to ending the digital divide across the state and empowering every Ohioan with the high-speed capabilities they need to prosper and thrive."