About 350,000 Ohio households do not have access to broadband service.
Connect Ohio, which was initiated by Gov. Ted Strickland last December, released maps showing broadband coverage, as well as gaps in services, in the state.
Strickland called the maps “critical tools” because better access to broadband “means more economic growth, more job opportunities and a better quality of life for our families."
Connect Ohio worked with 60 broadband providers, both telephone and cable companies, to generate the inventory map, which can be viewed in a larger size at www.connectohio.org.
Statistics show a gap between availability of broadband in urban areas (96 percent) compared to rural areas (79 percent).
Other findings:
- About one of three low-income families (making less than $25,000 annually) does not have a computer at home.
- More than four of 10 residents use the Internet to work from home, either during regular business hours or in the evening.
- Nearly half of the residents who don’t have broadband say they would not get it even if it were available.
Connect Ohio’s goal is to work with government and business to help grow the economy by expanding use of broadband technology.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Alan Johnson
Quelle/Source: The Columbus Dispatch, 27.06.2008
