COLUMBUS (WCMH) – The FCC announced an auction to expand broadband to rural areas in Ohio.
According to the Federal Communication Commission, more than 401,000 rural Americans will gain access to high-speed broadband through the Commission’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund.
“This historic auction is great news for the residents of so many rural Ohio communities, who will get access to high-quality broadband service in areas that for too long have been on the wrong side of the digital divide,” said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai.
Their goal is to bring service to 191,093 unserved homes and businesses over the next 10 years.
The FCC states that nearly all locations in Ohio that were eligible for the auction will be receiving access to gigabit-speed broadband. The auction unleashed robust competition that resulted in more locations being awarded at less cost to Americans who pay into the FCC’s Universal Service Fund.
“We structured this innovative and groundbreaking auction to prioritize bids for high-speed, low-latency services to deliver the best results for rural Americans, and the results show that this strategy worked. This auction was the Commission’s single largest step ever taken toward delivering digital opportunity to every American and is another key success in our ongoing commitment to universal service,” Pai stated further.
Here are regional counties affected:
Athens, Coshocton, Delaware, Fairfield, Franklin, Guernsey, Hocking, Holmes, Knox, Licking, Logan, Marion, Morrow, Pike, Ross and Vinton
