MEDIA ADVISORY: USDA Administrator Jonathan Adelstein to visit Central Ohio, Discuss Broadband Programs in Rural Communities

COLUMBUS – On Tuesday, July 19, United States Department of Agriculture Rural Utilities Service Administrator Jonathan Adelstein will be visiting central Ohio to discuss Consolidated Electric Cooperative’s progress on local fiber installation and broadband expansion in Delaware, Morrow, and parts of surrounding counties, as well as give an update on similar broadband projects in rural communities nationally.

Who:
• USDA Rural Utilities Service (RUS) Administrator Jonathan Adelstein
• USDA Rural Development Ohio State Office staff, including J. Anthony Logan, director, David Douglas, community program director, Mark Elam, RUS field accountant
• Consolidated Electric Cooperative staff, including Jerry Lauer, President/CEO, and Doug Payauys, CIO
• Connect Ohio technical outreach manager Bart Winegar

What: Project Update: Consolidated Electric USDA RUS-funded fiber-optic network expansion in Delaware, Morrow, and parts of surrounding counties, including a field review of fiber installation

When: Tuesday, July 19, 2011
3:00 PM EST

Where: Consolidated Electric Cooperative
Delaware office
4993 St. Rt. 521
Delaware, Ohio

Contact:
• Amanda Murphy of Connect Ohio at (614) 214-6755, amurphy@connectohio.org
• Pamela Hawk of Consolidated Electric Cooperative at (419) 949-2911, phawk@conelec.com.

Key Technology Benchmarks:
Connect Ohio recognizes broadband as a key component of rural development. The recent release of Connect Ohio’s 2011 Residential Technology Assessment illustrates the challenges and opportunities that exist in Ohio’s rural community development. Below is specific broadband adoption statistics for Delaware, Franklin, Knox, and Morrow counties.

	Broadband Adoption			Internet Use			Own Computer
	2008	2011		2008	2011		2008	2011
Delaware County	73%	87%		90%	95%		90%	92%
Franklin County	67%	72%		85%	93%		82%	81%
Knox County	42%	71%		72%	84%		72%	81%
Morrow County	41%	73%		82%	88%		75%	86%
State Average	55%	66%		79%	82%		76%	80%

The complete 2011 Residential Technology Assessment can be viewed at http://connectohio.org/mapping_and_research/residential_and_business_technology_assessments.php.

Specific county-level research can be viewed by visiting http://connectohio.org/mapping_and_research/county_profiles/. Click on the county of interest’s profile page, and then click on the county’s technology profile.

• More than 88,000 businesses in Ohio do not use broadband.
• Businesses without broadband have annual revenue of $200,000 less than businesses with broadband.

Additional Broadband and business data from Connect Ohio’s 2010 Business Technology Assessment can be viewed at http://connectohio.org/mapping_and_research/.

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Learn more about Consolidated’s expansion project by visiting http://www.consolidatedelectric.coop/aboutus/news_pages/grant.asp.

Learn more about the USDA Rural Development Rural Utilities Service by visiting http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/Utilities_LP.html.