More than 300 homes to get high-speed internet
Pilot project will make use of MARCS towers
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CUTLER -- More than 300 households in the Cutler community will now have broadband access thanks to a new program announced Wednesday by Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted.
Standing in front of a tower which will be used for the access, Husted, Ohio Department of Development Director Lydia Mihalik and Washington County Commissioner James Booth discussed a pilot project using state-owned Multi-Agency Radio Communications Systems (MARCS) towers Wednesday at the Cutler Community Center.
"Extending reliable and affordable broadband service to unserved and underserved areas is something that has been a part of Lt. Gov. Husted's agenda since he took office because of his interest in Southeast Ohio," Booth said.
The project through BroadbandOhio, in partnership with the Southeast Ohio Broadband Cooperative, using the MARCS towers will also help an additional 130 households maintain internet service in the event of a local provider no longer offering internet access. The initiative was a success due to partnerships with local and state officials, Husted said.
"Those who collaborate best are the ones that win. You're winning today because you collaborated. You all came together and worked with us to try and solve problems that people have in their real and daily lives," Husted said.
While campaigning around the state with Gov. Mike DeWine, Husted said, he learned that a lot of people don't have access to high-speed internet.
"You can't be part of the modern economy, education or health care system without it. And while Gov. DeWine and I knew this and you all knew this, I don't think the rest of the world really understood that very well until COVID hit," Husted said.
When people had to work from home and students had to switch to remote learning, it impacted about 5,000 households in the county that don't have internet access.
"I say that so that people really understand the scope of the problem," Husted said. "Today it is exciting, truly exciting."
The MARCS towers are used for instant emergency communication. Husted said the reason the broadband project wasn't implemented earlier was because the towers were purchased with tax-exempt bonds which didn't allow for private companies to install equipment on them.
The restrictions were eliminated, and in the process, it saved the state of Ohio $1 million.
"We have MARCS towers all around the state; we're making them available starting in (Southeastern Ohio); and we'll build out a larger network using other assets in the county for broadcasting out into the community," Husted said.
Wi-Fi will also be available at the Cutler Community Center, and state officials took advantage of it to livestream Wednesday's announcement.
"We're going to continue to do this, not just here, but all over the state as an illustration of our commitment to getting everyone in the state of Ohio access to high-speed internet, so thank you very much for being a tremendous example, Washington County," Mihalik said.
Candice Black can be reached at cblack@newsandsentinel.com.