Connect Ohio’s Every Citizen Online Broadband Adoption Program Sees Early Success

Connect Ohio’s Every Citizen Online Broadband Adoption Program Sees Early Success

Contact: Amanda Murphy

614-220-0190 or amurphy@connectohio.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 25, 2011

More than 10,000 Ohio adults have registered for free basic computer training offered throughout the state

COLUMBUS – Connect Ohio is pleased to announce more than 5,700 adults have completed the Every Citizen Online free basic computer training since the program’s launch December 20, 2010. More than 10,000 adults have registered for the free 6-hour course, which is offered in libraries and community centers across Ohio.

“Ohioans have already shown great interest in the Every Citizen Online program,” said Tom Fritz, Connect Ohio executive director. “We’re pleased that almost 6,000 adults in 60 counties have completed the training already, putting the program well on its way to success. Since January, more than 200 training locations have begun to offer free classes, with more coming aboard each week. We’re excited at the opportunity to prepare Ohioans without high-speed Internet for a technologically-driven society and to introduce them to a wide range of communication, education, economic, and healthcare tools available to them online.”

The program is available to any Ohio adult and trainees come from a wide range of backgrounds, including small business owners, persons interested in increasing their education, job seekers, and seniors who have waited to adopt technology.

“The class opened up knowledge of the computer and the Internet for me,” said Stephen Morozowsky, a small business owner in Zanesville. “Now, I communicate with my clients through e-mail. I also order my business supplies online. I can shop and compare prices, which I hadn’t been able to do before. It’s a great added convenience.”

Morozowsky received training at the John McIntire Public Library in March.

Early surveys indicate that 91% of trainees intend to become regular broadband users at home as a result of the training.

In partnership with 213 libraries, community colleges, and educational and workforce centers across the state, the program offers free computer and broadband training to any interested Ohio adult. The training curriculum includes a basic introduction to computers, an introduction to the Internet, as well as exploring the tools and benefits of using the Internet. Participants are helped to establish an e-mail account and provided with additional training resources to help them continue to learn and use information available online.

The goal of the Every Citizen Online project, funded by the National Telecommunication and Information Agency (NTIA)’s Broadband Technology Opportunities Program, is to train more than 200,000 state residents by early 2013 and to generate 75,000 new broadband adopters in Ohio. The scope of the 3-year program includes 80,000 training hours, more than 2,000 computers provided to libraries and community colleges, the immediate creation of 136 jobs, and a projected increase in direct economic growth of $36 million annually.

A complete list of program details and information on participating locations can be found at http://connectohio.org/consumer_training or by calling 1-855-NOW-I-CAN (669-4226). Free self-paced training is being offered online for those unable to attend classes. Self-paced training can be completed by visiting http://eco.connectohio.org/.

Additional information regarding the Every Citizen Online program can be found at http://connectohio.org/consumer_training/.

View Connect Ohio’s Every Citizen Online televised public service announcements: http://connectohio.org/consumer_training/media.php.

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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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Connect Ohio Report Proves Broadband Is Key to Higher Business Revenues

Media Contact: Amanda Murphy

amurphy@connectohio.org, (614) 220-0190

For Immediate Release

May 13, 2011

Download: Business Technology Adoption Overview

Access the Findings

Survey of state businesses establishes link between high-speed Internet use and bottom line

Columbus, OH — A new study by Connect Ohio shows businesses with broadband have a clear advantage in revenue and thus potential job creation over businesses without it. The groundbreaking research, which can be found at http://connectohio.org/mapping_and_research/, involved surveys of more than 802 businesses across the state and shows that businesses using high-speed Internet connections report median annual revenues $200,000 more than businesses without broadband. However, the research estimates that approximately 88,000 Ohio businesses still do not use broadband technology today.

“The Internet opens a world of opportunity, not only for consumers, but for businesses," Connect Ohio Executive Director Tom Fritz said. "One-third of Ohio businesses are not utilizing the digital opportunities of the Internet. Connect Ohio wants to ensure all Ohioans have access to the Internet's many benefits."

The new survey is the first of its kind and takes an in-depth look at all sectors of the state’s economy. A new interactive application is now available on the Connect Ohio website that allows you to see the impact on specific sectors of the state’s economy, from healthcare and manufacturing, to tourism and education.

“In the digital economy, businesses must embrace broadband, and other transformative technologies like it, in order to survive,” said Brian Mefford, CEO of Connected Nation, Connect Ohio’s parent organization. “The Internet is driving products and services to the marketplace in an environment where creativity and innovation are both reinforced and rewarded.”

Connect Ohio is a statewide public-private partnership working on broadband expansion. The new Ohio Business Technology Assessment reveals how technology is being used by businesses and where gaps still remain across the state. The assessment is designed to measure technology adoption and the awareness of available broadband service among state businesses, and establish benchmarks for these metrics.

The findings demonstrate a significant correlation between high-speed Internet adoption and a business’s bottom line, and provide a groundbreaking overview of business uses of technology. For instance:

• Businesses with high-speed Internet connections report having median annual revenues $200,000 more than businesses without broadband.

• Across the state, approximately 33% of businesses do not use broadband for their daily business needs. This includes 36% of small businesses, or approximately 34,000 businesses with five to nineteen employees.

• Only 53% of businesses in the Healthcare sector use broadband, meaning about 13,000 Healthcare-related businesses do not subscribe.

• 4 out of 5 businesses that do not subscribe to broadband say that either they do not need broad¬band or they do not know why they don’t subscribe. This is by far the most often-cited barrier to broad¬band adoption, followed by the lack of a computer, perceived security risks, and expense.

• 22% of state businesses let employees telework.

• Statewide, 29% of businesses (approximately 59,000 businesses) earn revenues from online transactions. 

• $67.36 - Median monthly cost for broadband for state businesses. This is slightly lower than the median price of $71.92 paid by all businesses in the states/territories served by Connected Nation.

Increasing broadband capacity among businesses is just one area that Connect Ohio is focused on. Connect Ohio’s Every Citizen Online program collaborates with over 200 libraries, community colleges, and career centers to provide free basic computer and Internet training to Ohio adults. The two-year program is a statewide initiative to introduce new computer users to a wide range of conveniences available online in an effort to increase broadband adoption rates. For more information on the Every Citizen Online program, visit http://connectohio.org/consumer_training/.

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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.


About Connected Nation: Connected Nation is the broadband mapping agent in twelve states and territories under the NTIA’s State Broadband Data and Development grant program. This work comprises approximately 42 percent of the country’s landmass and encompasses approximately 39.5 million households. Connected Nation is a national nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that expands access to and use of broadband Internet and the related technologies that are enabled when individuals and communities have the opportunity and desire to connect. Connected Nation effectively raises the awareness of the value of broadband and related technologies by developing coalitions of influencers and enablers for improving technology availability and use. Connected Nation works with consumers, community leaders, states, technology providers and foundations, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to develop and implement technology expansion programs with core competencies centered around a mission to improve digital inclusion for people and places previously underserved or overlooked. www.connectednation.org.

Connect Ohio Applauds Washington County RFP Release and Efforts to Expand Broadband Availability

Contact: Amanda Murphy

614-220-0190 or amurphy@connectohio.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 6, 2011

County Commissioners, with the help of Connect Ohio, have released an RFP for Wireless Internet Service Providers, which would allow for high-speed Internet to reach a majority of county households.

COLUMBUS –Washington County Commissioners, along with assistance from Connect Ohio and Buckeye Hill-Hocking Valley Regional Development District LDD GIS department, has announced the release of a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the construction of a wireless broadband network throughout the county.

Commissioners Cora Marshall, Timothy Irvine, and Steven Weber released the proposal as an invitation to Wireless Internet Service Providers (WISP) to expand the access and availability of broadband Internet services to commercial, residential, and publically owned locations in Washington County.

According to the RFP, it was created with the following two objectives:

• Expand broadband throughout Washington County, especially in unserved and underserved areas at or below current market rates
• Expand no charge law enforcement and lower cost first responder data network access throughout Washington County

The RFP also details initiatives undertaken to assist the WISP in the expansion efforts and includes the following:

• Secured access to 10 Multi Agency Radio Communications System Towers (MARCS)
• Access to county-owned vertical assets
• Secured participation by majority of area water authorities with access to 17 water and communication towers
• Customized GIS layers with Dot-On-House information
• Signal distribution analysis and business case model provided by Connect Ohio

The contact person for Washington County’s RFP project is Eric Skomra, county IT director. He can be reached at (740) 374-6623, ext. 301 or eskomra@wcgov.org.

“The Washington County Commissioners recognize the importance of broadband availability for all county citizens, especially those that live in rural areas,” said Bart Winegar, Connect Ohio technical outreach manager. “The Commissioners are doing all they can to attract broadband providers to the unserved areas and this RFP is evidence of their efforts.”

Connect Ohio technical outreach staff had the opportunity to work closely with Washington County officials and Buckeye Hill-Hocking Valley Regional Development District LDD GIS department, completing data collection, cost estimates, and propagation studies. Connect Ohio used the data to provide a customized business model for broadband expansion for the county, which is included in the RFP.

“Bart Winegar and Ira Dye of Connect Ohio have done a phenomenal job taking the data we provided and producing a strong, viable business case for Wireless Broadband delivery in Washington County,” shared Skomra. “I believe any WISP who reviews the detailed data and the analysis provided will be highly compelled to participate in our RFP.”

According to Connect Ohio’s 2008 Consumer Technology Assessment for Washington County, only 37% of households received broadband service to the home, significantly less than the state average at the time, which was 55%.*

Additional Washington County technology statistics can be found on Connect Ohio’s website or by visiting the following link: http://connectohio.org/mapping_and_research/county_profiles/washington/.

*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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