COVER STORY

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Submitted Three plans from OhioTT range from 25Mbps for $ 29 to 100Mbps for $ 79 monthly . Through the end of the year , new and existing customers will get 50 % off any plan locked in through 2023 . There are no contracts to sign .

Left to Right : Commissioner Dane Shryock , Commissioner Rick Conkle , Megan Kvamme OTT , Kyle Yoder OTT , Commissioner Gary Fischer , Justin Embrey OTT , Jennifer DeLand OTT and Rusty Dreher Project Assistant .

By Adam Cook

Coshocton County , bringing high-speed internet broadband to rural communities .

Through a public-private partnership with the Zanesville-based internet service provider , the Coshocton County commissioners invested $ 5 million of coronavirus relief aid from the $ 1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act to increase affordable broadband access to unserved and underserved areas .

In the digital age , internet connectivity is critical infrastructure .

The Federal Highway Act of 1956 created the interstate system . Once completed , 41,000 miles of highway intersected with existing local streets , roads and bridges , opening up new lanes of commerce and culture for fast and flexible transit from one end of the country to the other .

Fast and flexible connections continue to propel communities forward today in part to Massive MIMO , a new technology able to overcome traditional roadblocks in rural areas to connectivity .

The technology uses an array of antennas that can be readily installed in weeks or months relatively easily on existing towers vs . years , which is often the case with fiber , to create a superhighway capable of handling high volumes of network traffic as the number of connected devices grows .

“ The pandemic shed light on the fact that in this day and age , broadband is a utility ,” OhioTT Executive Chairwoman Megan Kvamme said . “ Anyone who doesn ’ t have access is in a tough spot .”

The first tower went live in April . Since then , OhioTT added six more , and an additional 14 will go live over the next two years , reaching nearly 9,000 residences and an untold number of businesses .

“ I signed up our businesses along U . S . 36 — Universe at Unusual Junction and McKenna ’ s Farm Market — where we had very slow internet service at a very high price , which was all we could get ,” Junction Enterprises Director of Operations Jan Myers said . “ OhioTT came out , checked our locations and got us hooked up with much faster service at a fraction of the cost we had been paying for far less internet speeds .”

Three plans range from 25Mbps for $ 29 to 100Mbps for $ 79 monthly . Through the end of the year , new and existing customers will get 50 % off any plan locked in through 2023 . There are no contracts to sign .

“ Many of the points of sale are now cloud-based ,” said Doug Davis ,

a co-owner of the River Greens Golf Course on OH-751 in West Lafayette . “( Service ) was slow by today ’ s standards and very expensive . With OhioTT , our speeds are five times faster , and we are paying $ 80 less per month .”

Fast and reliable internet service is a significant economic driver , but there ’ s a larger mission .

“ In our rural communities , it ’ s not just about access ,” Kvamme said . “ It ’ s about affordability .”

“ OhioTT came out , checked our locations and got us hooked up with much faster service at a fraction of the cost we had been paying for far less internet speeds .”

— Junction Enterprises Director of Operations Jan Myers

OhioTT participates in the FCC ’ s Affordable Connectivity Program , which provides a $ 30 credit each month for internet service .

The pandemic laid bare the reality of the digital divide , particularly for children who had to adapt to distance learning , a seemingly impossible task for those who lack access to reliable WiFi .

“ The broadband issue in this county was very lacking — 40 % of one local school district did not have any connectivity to its students ,” Coshocton County commissioner Dane Shryock said . “ We ’ re trying to do everything we can to make this community more attractive . We ’ re seeing people wanting to move out of metropolitan areas into a rural community , but one thing everyone asks their realtor is whether it ’ s black or lit up .”

Internet connectivity substantially increases home values . According to the county ’ s 10-year plan estimates , it would cost $ 86 million to outfit every home with traditional wireless .

The public-private partnership is taking an innovative approach to bring widespread WiFi plans home sooner than anyone thought possible .

“ This was just not about being an internet service provider , but was an economic development mission ,” Kvamme said . “ This was about partnerships to bring broadband to unserved and underserved areas . There is no single solution . It ’ s wonderful that our partners are working diligently to bring fiber . But we have to have discussions about access and affordability and realize we ’ re going to have to come together with a multitude of solutions .”

Coshocton County residents can get up to speed by visiting https :// OhioTT . com / Coshocton to find out whether they ’ re already in range of OhioTT internet broadband . This content is sponsored by OhioTT .

High-speed internet is now a thing in Coshocton County , courtesy of OhioTT . The company ’ s first tower went live in April . Since then , six more have been added and an additional 14 will go live over the next two years , reaching nearly 9,000 residences and an untold number of businesses .

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