Connect Ohio Technical Outreach Team Provides Broadband Expansion Model to Morgan County Officials

Connect Ohio Technical Outreach Team Provides Broadband Expansion Model to Morgan County Officials

Contact: Amanda Murphy

614-220-0190 or amurphy@connectohio.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 17, 2011

Connect Ohio’s model would allow high-speed Internet to reach a majority of Morgan County households.

COLUMBUS – Connect Ohio technical outreach staff presented Morgan County officials with a financially viable and sustainable broadband expansion model in a meeting Wednesday, March 16, at the Morgan County Extension Agent in McConnelsville, Ohio.

Following months of data collection, cost estimation, and propagation studies by Connect Ohio technical outreach manager Bart Winegar, coordinator Ira Dye, and Matthew Pepper of Chesterhill municipal wireless Internet service provider, the model was presented to Morgan County officials for review. The model leverages efforts from local eCommunity Strategy planning that began in 2009 with the assistance of Connect Ohio. Many local leaders participated in these early meetings and provided valuable input.

“This presentation was the culmination of a lot of work,” said Winegar. “I’m encouraged that county commissioners and economic development staff were present and agreed to take time to review the model.”

According to Connect Ohio’s 2008 Consumer Technology Assessment for Morgan County, only 25% of households received broadband service to the home, significantly less than the state average at the time, which was 55%.*

“This is positive for the area and the residents of Morgan County,” said Pepper. “(Broadband) adoption is not the issue. Availability is the issue.”

In a few weeks, the group will reconvene to discuss the next steps needed to make the model a reality.

“I’m excited about the opportunity to provide a service to so many unserved households,” said Shannon Wells, director of the Morgan County Development Office.

Those in attendance for Wednesday’s meeting included:

Dean Cain, Morgan County commissioner

Steve Hook, Morgan County engineer

Bo Powell, Morgan County Engineer’s Office

Matthew Pepper, Chesterhill municipal wireless Internet service provider

Shannon Wells, director of the Morgan County Development Office

Ira Dye, technical outreach coordinator at Connect Ohio

Tom Fritz, executive director at Connect Ohio

Bart Winegar, technical outreach manager at Connect Ohio

Chip Spann, director of engineering & technical services at Connected Nation

Morgan County libraries and learning centers have also partnered with Connect Ohio to provide Every Citizen Online basic computer and Internet training to adults. The training will introduce new users to a wide range of communication, education, and healthcare tools available online. Interested adults throughout Ohio are eligible to participate in the program, which is being provided locally at the following locations:

-Morgan County Learning Center, located at 4277 N. State Route 376 NW, McConnelsville, (740) 962-2079

-Kate Love Simpson-Morgan County Library, Main Branch, located at 358 E. Main Street, McConnelsville, (740) 962-2533

-Kate Love Simpson-Morgan County Library Chesterhill Branch, located at 7520 Marion Street, Chesterhill, (740) 554-7104

For questions regarding the Every Citizen Online program, contact Amanda Murphy at amurphy@connectohio.org.

*A 2011 Residential Technology Assessment for each county will be available later this year.

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About Connect Ohio: Connect Ohio, a division of Connected Nation, is a nonprofit, technology-neutral public-private partnership that works with telecommunications providers, business and community leaders, information technology companies, researchers, public agencies, libraries and universities in an effort to help extend affordable high-speed Internet service to every Ohio household. For more information about what Connect Ohio is doing to accelerate technology in Ohio's communities, visit http://www.connectohio.org

Related Links: Connect Ohio on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ConnectOhio

Connect Ohio on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ConnectOH

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