Post in Broadband in Central Ohio

May 05 19:40 UTC

I'm not sure if there are any groups doing this in Central Ohio. Broadband Ohio
is a state initiative (an expansion/pass thru of Taft's OH1 rebranded for
Strickland) which aims at providing last mile broadband connectivity to all
Ohioans (particularly those in Appalachia) but this is not the same as free
community broadband. This contract would be available to local governments and
it's agents to make this happen but there would still be a cost at some level.
Many communities have backed away from providing WiFi on the basis that it is
technologically difficult to support (WiFi hasn't matured enough for reliable
broadband use throughout municipalites without significant cost) and secondly
that the municipalities get a hard fought battle from the Telco/Cable providers
in the area who say that the free broadband is harming their ability to do
business. Depending on what is at risk (jobs, etc.) by pissing off those
companies some cities pull back and some
 go forward.

Even in affluent communities (I live in UA and eccentially have one option
[Time Warner] for hardwired broadband) selection and availability are sometimes
hard to come by. As cell based broadband gets better and less expensive I see
fewer and fewer public entities willing to provide this service so it is
imperative that, at least for the sake of lower income populations, nonprofits
consider working this angle to help bridge the digital divide.

Thanks for pointing out this organization, it is really inspiring.

Andrew
http://elephantsonbicycles.com