ConneCtedConnect ohio Quarterly

Two Ohio Telephone Companies Win Federal Stimulus Funds to BuildFiber-To-The-Home Networks

No Child Left Offline Donation Continues to Impact Lives in Lorain County

New Service Offers New Opportunities for Meigs County Residents

WINTER 2010

A Mansfield family is now able to take advantage of the benefits of high-speed

Internet for the first-time, as winners in a statewide contest sponsored by

Connect Ohio and the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation. CenturyLink donated a new notebook computer, as well as

six months of broadband service, and Connect Ohio provided six months of

service to give the winners one year of high-speed Internet service at no cost.

Connect Ohio’s Work Continues Long After Stimulus EffortsAs the Federal Communications Commision rolls out its National Broadband Plan and the application process for second and final round of the $7.2 billion broadband stimulus program funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act comes to a close, Connect Ohio and its stakeholders will remain focused on its goal of increasing adoption of broadband services by those who don’t understand their value, cannot

afford it, or don’t have access to a computer. We will also help advance availability projects to help connect the more than 200,000 Ohio households that still don’t have access to high-speed Internet service in their homes.

On February 12, Connect Ohio held an online webinar for Ohio broadband providers to help showcase business expansion opportunities in every Ohio county. The presentation featured detailed maps and statistics to illustrate exactly where unserved households are located and included detailed information on local availability and adoption rates.

In upcoming months, Connect Ohio’s eCommunity Strategies teams will be helping raise awareness of the benefits of high-speed service on a grassroots level.

Connect Ohio has been working with several organizations in the past few months to coordinate the submission of two applications for federal broadband stimlulus funding that would

greatly increase the capacity of computing facilities at Ohio’s public libraries. Working with partners such as the Ohio LIbrary Council, the Ohio Public Library Information Network, the State Library of Ohio, Ohio’s public radio and television stations and the Ohio Association of Broadcasters, both proposed projects would work together to provide new public computers to Ohio’s public libraries.

The program would also feature training for Ohio residents who don’t currently subscribe to broadband at home and a long-term public awareness campaign that would help guide potential new broadband customers to their local public library to receive free training.

In the next year, Connect Ohio will continue to strengthen its partnerships with Ohio broadband providers and community leadership in every Ohio county. New partnerships with federal, state, and local organizations will also help advance the local project objectives that have been identified in each county’s strategic technology plan.

We look forward to our continued partnership with Ohio communities, technology providers, and other organizations to help bring broadband technology to every household in the state. Tom Fritz

Executive DirectorConnect Ohio

Connect Ohio is a nonprofit, technology-neutral, public-private partnership that works with telecommunications providers,business and community

leaders, information technology companies, researchers, public agencies, libraries and universities in an effort to help extend affordable high-speed

Internet service to every Ohio household.

For more information about what Connect Ohio is doing to accelerate technology in Ohio’s communities, visit: www.connectohio.org.

© Connect Ohio 2010 All Rights Reserved. Reproduction without permission prohibited.

Table of Contents

Consumers to Benefit From Stimulus Projects .......... 3

Next-Generation Wireless Broadband in Ohio ........4

New Service in Meigs County ................................... 5

NCLO Donation Continues to Impact Lives ............ 6

www.connectohio.org

“ “Connect Ohio’s assistance was extremely valuable in

our quest for the RUS loan/grant.”

Ken WilliamsPresident & Chief Executive OfficerBenton Ridge Telephone Company

Two Ohio telephone companies recently received word that they had been successful in their efforts to secure federal stimulus funds to finance the construction of fiber-to-the-home broadband networks in two northwest Ohio counties. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service (RUS) recently announced the awards, which are funded by its Broadband Improvement Program that is part of the $7.2 billion allocated for broadband expansion and adoption projects in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

The Benton Ridge Telephone Company received a grant of $1,547,942 and a $1,611,124 loan for its broadband expansion project in Hancock County, while the Wabash Mutual Telephone Company was awarded a $2,174,787 grant and a $2,201,042 loan for its Fort Recovery Area Fiber-To-The-Home project.

“Benton Ridge Telephone Company is pleased to be able to bring a state-of-the-art, Fiber-To-The-Home system to the residents in our Benton Ridge exchange,” said Ken Williams, Benton Ridge Telephone’s president and chief executive officer.

“This system will provide a dedicated fiber optic connection for each customer and will provide services at high speeds with exceptional reliability. We appreciate the support that Connect Ohio has given us in this process and we are thankful to be a recipient of this funding,” he said. “Connect Ohio’s assistance was extremely valuable in our quest for the RUS loan/grant. The maps provided by Connect Ohio were a key in completing a successful application.”

For more information about the RUS’ Broadband Improvement Program (BIP) or the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) administered by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), visit the BroadbandUSA portal at www.broadbandusa.gov. l

Consumers in Hancock and Mercer Counties to Benefit From Fiber-To-The-Home Stimulus Projects

Fiber-To-The-Home (FTTH) installations are becoming more common as consumers continue to increase demand for bandwidth. A FTTH project in St. Mary’s by Connect Ohio partner company TSC was a first for the bright.net affiliates in Ohio.

CONNECTED

4 Winter 2010

The nation’s two largest wireless carriers, Verizon and AT&T, have both announced plans to unveil fourth generation (4G) networks in the next two years, based on a new technology called Long Term Evolution (LTE). Sprint and other wireless carriers also offer a competing 4G wireless service based on WiMax technology. Both LTE and WiMax technologies will offer much faster wireless broadband conection speeds for Ohio consumers.

True 4G service must generate speeds of at least 100 megabits per second, according to the International Telecommunication Union. In the U.S., current 3G technology typically offers speeds of up to 2 megabits per second, while broadband delivers 5 megabits per second to the average U.S. household.

AT&T recently announced its Ohio wireless network investment plans for 2010, which will feature the addition of 30 new cell sites and the upgrade of nearly 240 additional cell sites to 3G throughout the state.

From 2007 through 2009, AT&T’s total capital investment in its Ohio wireless and wireline networks was nearly $1.6 billion. Wireless data traffic on the AT&T network has grown more than 5,000 percent over the past three years, largely attributed to today’s advanced smartphones that are generating dramatically increasing volumes of network traffic.

In fact, roughly 40 percent of AT&T’s postpaid customer base uses a smartphone. “We’re seeing advanced smartphones

driving up to 10 times the amount of usage of other devices on average,” said Larry Evans, vice president and general manager of AT&T Ohio and Western Pennsylvania area in a news release.

Faster 3G speeds are scheduled to become available this year and in 2011 as AT&T combines the new technology with its second initiative to dramatically increase the number of high-speed backhaul connections to cell sites, primarily with fiber-optic connections, adding capacity from cell sites to the AT&T backbone network.

The backhaul upgrades are also a key step in the evolution toward next-generation LTE mobile broadband technology. AT&T is designing its new backhaul deployments to accommodate both faster 3G and future LTE deployments. AT&T currently plans to begin trials of LTE technology this year, and to begin LTE deployment in 2011, matching industry timelines for broader availability of compelling devices and supporting network equipment.

Verizon is in the final testing phase of its LTE technology and has said it will launch the service in 25 to 30 markets throughout the U.S. by the end of this year. It is using the 700MHx spectrum that it acquired in a Federal Communications Commisison auction.

As with 3G technology, urban areas will most likely be served first in Ohio, according to wireless industry sources. l

Next-Generation Wireless Broadband Will Offer New Ways to Connect for Thousands of Ohioans

Wired School Buses as “Rolling Study Halls”A recent New York Times article outlined how officials with a suburban school district near Tuscon, Arizona installed a mobile Internet router in one of its school buses, turning long, often “boisterous” daily trips into quieter, more productive time for students.

The equipment cost about $200 to install and a $60-a-month wireless data package gives high school students the ability to work on homework, as well as checking e-mail and social networking sites.

Read more here:http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/12/

education/12bus.html

CONNECT OHIO QUARTERLy

www.connectohio.org 5

Thanks to a recent service expansion by a fixed wireless provider, 200 formerly unserved Meigs County households now have the ability to subscribe to high-speed Internet service. Fixed wireless broadband is high-speed Internet access where service is delivered to the customer using radio signals rather than phone line, cable service, or fiber optic connection.

New Era Broadband, LLC, a Meigs-County based fixed wireless provider, installed new equipment on a McKenzie Ridge Road communications tower in December. The 400-foot-tall tower is owned by the State of Ohio’s Multi-Agency Radio Communcations System (MARCS) and is reportedly the tallest free-standing radio tower in the state.

Residents living within an approximate five-mile radius of the MARCS tower stand a good opportunity of being able to receive New Era’s fixed wireless signal. Residents along Bashan Road (CR 28), Morning Star, Carmel Road, the intersection of Forest Run and Pine Grove, Eagle Ridge west of Bashan and Trouble Creek Road are included in the new coverage area.

“The Meigs County Commissioners, Home National Bank, the Village of Racine, and local emergency management agency and emergency medical services were all very helpful in helping this project become a reality,” said New Era’s Managing Partner David Hannum. “We appreciate Connect Ohio’s continued support and its research, which allows us to focus on serving Meigs County residents who do not yet have a broadband provider.”

Connect Ohio’s most recent research estimates that 2,685 of the 9,234 households in Meigs County don’t have access to broadband, which means that about 30 percent of the county’s households still can’t take advantage of the many benefits it offers.

In southeast Ohio’s 22 counties, 87,838 of the nearly 400,000 households remain unserved, about 44 percent of the 205,000 unserved households in the state.

“The first priority of the Meigs County eCS project team is to expand availability to county residents,” said Bart Winegar, Connect Ohio’s state operations manager for southeast Ohio. “We have been working with every broadband provider in the state to showcase expansion opportunities.”

Connect Ohio’s 2008 Residential Technology Assessment for Meigs County indicated that only 23 percent of the

county’s residents subscribe to broadband at home, compared to the 2008 statewide average of 55 percent.

The assessment also found that 65 percent of Meigs County residents own a computer, compared to 76 percent statewide.

Connect Ohio’s Strategic Technology Plans, as well as residential and business technology assessments for every Ohio county are available on Connect Ohio’s website at: www.connectohio.org/mapping_and_research/county_profiles/.

Connect Ohio’s interactive broadband mapping tool is available at www.connectohio.org/mapping_and_research/interactive_map.php. l

New Service Offers New Opportunities for Meigs County Residents

“We appreciateConnect Ohio’s

continued supportand its research, which

allows us to focus on serving Meigs County residents who do not

yet have a broadband provider.”

David HannumManaging Partner

New Era Broadband, LLC

Larry Morland, (l) president of Morland Enterprises, talks with New Era Broadband’s Managing Partner David Hannum at the McKenzie Ridge Rd. tower site. More than 200 additional Meigs County households now have access to high-speed Internet.

CONNECTED

6 Winter 2010

In February 2009, Governor Ted Strickland proclaimed Connect Ohio’s “Digital Day” at the Lorain County Boys and Girls Club. In partnership with the members of the Ohio Telecom Association, 400 computers were donated to community-based organizations across the state. Since the donation a year ago, the technology is being put to good use.

“We are proud to report that the Boys & Girls Clubs of Lorain County is utilizing the 24 computers received through Connect Ohio’s No Child Left Offline® (NCLO) program at the Elyria Community Center, St. Stanislaus, and Westview Terrace clubs,” said Bobby Taylor, director of operations for the Lorain clubs. The computers are used by approximately 135 youth and adults per day. “We plan to have a digital arts festival, job training seminars, and senior computer lab accessibility at the clubs,” he said.

“Our mission is to help at-risk boys and girls develop the qualities needed to become responsible citizens and leaders,” Taylor said. “The Boys & Girls Clubs of Lorain County provides a safe haven, adult role models, and a variety of programs that support the educational, emotional, physical, and social development of youth, without regard to social, racial, ethnic, or religious background.”

The clubs serve nearly 4,000 children and teens, ages 6 to 18, in its clubs, and through programs and partnerships. Four clubs serve youth in Lorain and Elyria, along with a club located in Oberlin. Here’s how the NCLO computers are helping club members on a daily basis in Lorain County:

Elyria Community Center – Computers are used by adults on Mondays and Wednesdays during the Adult Computer Lab. Members participate in a mandatory Internet Safety program and have begun work on the club’s first podcast. The computer lab is popular during monthly Family Fun Nights in which parents and their children jointly use the computers. Daily at 4 p.m., members use the computers for proficiency test practice. One special event with associates from Ernst & Young featured a webcast on college financing. Students from the local high school, along with teen members from throughout the organization, were also in attendance.

St. Stanislaus – The computers are used through the school day by students of the Lorain City Schools Credit Recovery Academy. Students log in to the Internet-based curriculum to earn credits toward graduation. The computers are then

used in the afternoon by club members during Power Hour for homework assistance and Club Tech. Music Tech, in which members create their own musical masterpieces, is by far the most popular program.

Westview Terrace – Lorain Metropolitan Housing Authority residents and club members use the computers jointly on Friday afternoons for “Family Lab Time”, also affectionately called “Fam Lab”. The members assist the residents in basic fundamentals of web navigation like checking e-mail and web searches. During the week, club members work with supplemental service providers at the club with tutoring and homework assistance.

Clubs offer a program called Skill Tech, which includes basic training and Skill Tech II programs to members of all ages and technical abilities. In Skill Tech Basic training, members learn how to use various Microsoft software programs, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, Publisher, and Digital Image Pro through animated lessons and instructor-led group activities. Skill Tech II features three modules for beginner, intermediate, and advanced skill levels. Participants learn about hardware identification and installation, networking, and technology-related careers.

The Skill Tech programs, available at www.myclubmylife.com, are a part of Club Tech’s mission to prepare America’s youth for success in school and to prepare them to compete in the twenty-first century workforce. For more information about BGCA, visit its website at www.bgca.org. l

No Child Left Offline Donation Continues to Impact Lives in Lorain County

Members of the Lorain County Boys and Girls Club check out two of the 24 computers the club received from Connect Ohio’s No Child Left Offline® Program.

CONNECT OHIO QUARTERLy

www.connectohio.org 7

In 1995, Horizon provided an advanced fiber optic connection to Ross County

Schools, establishing the Great Seal Education Network of Tomorrow at no cost.

PARTNER SPOTLIGHT: Horizon Telecom

Horizon has been providing telecommunications services to southern Ohio for 115 years. It provides leading-edge voice, video, and data services to businesses and residents in 13 southern Ohio counties. Founded in 1895 as the Home Telephone Company, the organization has grown and adapted to address changing needs of its customers, its employees and its community while still maintaining a competitive position within the telecommunications industry. Horizon has established a reputation for offering advanced services (including broadband to more than 95 percent of its local telephone service area), superior quality and renowned responsiveness to its Appalachian customers.

Horizon has built fiber optic networks - including self-healing rings - since the mid-1980s. To celebrate the company’s 100th anniversary in 1995, Horizon provided an advanced fiber optic network to Ross County schools, establishing the Great Seal Education Network of Tomorrow, at no cost. When distance learning was just a “buzz” term elsewhere, Ross County schools were already using this advanced network. Horizon now provides 500 MB connections to each local school system for slightly more than schools elsewhere in the region pay for 10 MB connections. For more information, visit www.horzontel.com.

The Northeast Ohio Technology Coalition (NorTech) is a nonprofit Technology-Based Economic Development (TBED) organization that champions growth in Northeast Ohio’s 21-county region.

NorTech marshals resources and forges collaborations to put economic growth on the fast track by: accelerating technology development and moving innovations from the lab to the marketplace; driving growth in the region’s high tech industries (with a current focus on Advanced Energy and Flexible Electronics); and expanding state and federal funding to support early stage technology commercialization and industry building.

NorTech leads the region’s technology based economic development agenda. By supporting and nurturing Northeast Ohio’s most promising technology projects and initiatives, it helps to create new technology industries and make the region’s economy more globally-competitive.

NorTech works with universities, hospitals, research institutions, capital providers, businesses, philanthropic foundations, regional technology incubators, state and government officials, and many others to accelerate regional technology based economic development efforts.

NorTech’s efforts are focused on:

• Early-State Technology Commercialization: moving technology innovations from the lab to the marketplace.

• Industry Building: building industries from technology areas where the region has the best opportunity to be successful.

• Public Policy and Government Engagement: expanding state and federal funding for technology-based economic development initiatives that support regional high tech growth.

For more information, contact NorTech at 216-363-6883 or visit NorTech’s website at www.nortech.org. l

NorTech - Growing Northeast Ohio’s High Tech Economy

What is VoIP?

232 N THIRD STREET, SUITE 201COLUMBUS, OH 43215

RetuRn SeRvice RequeSted

NONPROFIT ORGU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDPERMIT NO. 2609COLUMBUS, OH

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), is a technology that allows you to make voice calls using a broadband Internet connection instead of a regular (or analog) phone line.

Some VoIP services may only allow you to call other people using the same service, but others may allow you to call anyone who has a telephone number - including local, long distance, mobile, and international numbers.

Also, while some VoIP services only work over your computer or a special VoIP phone, other services allow you to use a traditional phone connected to a VoIP adapter.

Source: http://www.fcc.gov/voip/

An employee of Morlan Enterprises scales the McKenzie Ridge Road MARCS tower in Meigs County to adjust New Era Broadand’s wireless backhaul antenna that is located 255 feet off the ground.