Broadband Internet

Less than half of populated areas in most of Ohio’s counties have broadband access. But millions of dollars in broadband investments could change that reality.

According to the U.S Census Bureau, between 2017 to 2021, about 28% of households in Ohio’s Columbiana County did not have an active broadband subscription. A similar problem exists across rural Appalachia in Ohio — and it is an expensive problem to fix.

Rural areas saw less voter turnout in the 2020 presidential election than other parts of Ohio. A new report by the Population Health Institute suggests a lack of broadband access could play a role.

The pandemic exacerbated rural mental health care gaps. A state program is trying to help.

The federal government is collecting data to determine which areas of the country need expanded access to high-speed internet.

Ohio State University is developing a new curriculum to train workers to help expand broadband internet access in rural and urban areas of Ohio.

The bipartisan bill contains billions of dollars for hard infrastructures like roads, bridges and highways but also provides funds to EV charging stations, broadband internet and more. We take a look at what it means for Ohio.

The state is now accepting submissions for broadband expansion projects to reach regions of Ohio that don't have reliable access to the internet.

With a little over a day till the deadline on Wednesday, the new two-year state budget is on its way to Gov. Mike DeWine after overwhelmingly bipartisan votes in the House and Senate late Monday evening.

In this week's episode of Snollygoster, Ohio's politics podcast from WOSU, hosts Mike Thompson and Steve Brown discuss the Ohio Senate's move to cut funding to an effort to expand internet access to unserved areas.