Hocking, Vinton and Perry counties joined together to form a plan to get coverage in the area.
"Broadband is a utility and needs to be treated like one," Brent Runge, retiring director of Hocking County 911 operations said. Runge is spearheading the campaign for Hocking County.
The broadband committees outlined areas that could benefit the most from broadband connections: public safety services, education facilities and health care facilities.
Broadband could provide needed information to all first responders of an accident or crime scene. Live camera feed could be seen from police cruisers that could produce video from a scene.
"We need Internet connectivity from cruiser to cruiser," Runge said.
Broadband also would help coordination of mutual aid response.
"It could be used not just to coordinate our areas, but surrounding counties as well," Runge said.
Education uses for broadband include video in the classrooms, sharing video connections between classrooms and wireless access from the schools.
"Not just for video games, for homework," Runge said.
Runge also said broadband would help schools with security issues in lieu of the Columbine shootings.
"They could have a direct connection to a 911 center," Runge said.
The health care advantages would be affordable telemedicine access, teleconferencing and connectivity to rural health departments.
The connection to rural health departments would be helpful "especially in light of a statewide disaster or pandemic situation," Runge said.
Another benefit broadband would bring to the area is economic development.
"Our biggest intent as far as economic development is to fill the industrial parks," Runge said.
Hocking, Vinton and Perry counties all have industrial parks that with openings for companies.
"One of the first questions they ask is 'Do you have broadband?' " Runge said.
Logan turned away 11 businesses last year alone due to a lack of broadband in the industrial park.
According to Runge, broadband is a possibility for this area.
"This is not futuristic Star Trek stuff," Runge said.
The broadband committees' plan is to use existing Ohio Multi-Agency Radio Communications System, or MARCS towers, to set up broadband signals.
The estimated cost for Hocking County to set up these broadband stations would be $41,000 per tower, averaging about $328,000 total.
About $29 million in grant money will be available for projects in Ohio. The broadband committees have already submitted an application to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for when the money will be distributed.
Fred Deel, the director of the Governor's Office of Appalachia, said the project will need representation at state level.
"That's where I hope to be effective in the plan," Deel said.
Deel said the office has no plans to fund anymore individual broadband projects until the broadband council comes out with a broadband access plan state-wide.
Deel will be serving on the broadband council.
Runge said the number one inhibitor of broadband access in this area is the cost.
"It's about getting affordable broadband out to communities that need it," Runge said, "We can't be as good as larger communities if we don't have broadband access."
Autor(en)/Author(s): Leslie Gray
Quelle/Source: The Logan Daily News, 12.09.2007
