Letter from Governor Mike DeWine

Dear Ohioan,

In some parts of Ohio, communities have little or no access to the internet because the digital infrastructure has yet to be built. The lack of basic connectivity is limiting opportunities for some businesses and residents.

Incomplete broadband connectivity is putting Ohio at a competitive disadvantage. Our team at InnovateOhio, led by Lt. Governor Jon Husted, is working to improve the broadband network throughout the state. The Ohio Broadband Strategy, with input from business and community leaders, explores ways to provide service to all communities by leveraging our state assets and resources, encouraging public-private partnerships, and coordinating broadband expansion with economic development initiatives.

We want all Ohioans to have the ability to participate in Ohio’s economy. Together, we can create a more robust broadband network and achieve this goal.

Very respectfully yours,

Mike DeWine
Governor

Letter from Lt. Governor Jon Husted

Dear Ohioan,

In today’s information-driven world, high-speed internet access is not a luxury – it is a necessity. By connecting our communities, we are reconnecting Ohioans with one another and helping to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to benefit from this vital resource. However, there are many areas of our state, particularly the more rural areas, which lack necessary access to high-speed internet service.

At the start of 2019, Governor DeWine and I created InnovateOhio with a mission to make Ohio the most innovative, creative, and entrepreneurial state in the Midwest. We want to use technology to improve the way citizens interact with state government. But these changes will fail to make the impact we desire if parts of our state lack high-speed internet access. No amount of innovation or creativity can counter a lack of connectivity.

The Ohio Broadband Strategy is a crucial step forward in our efforts to bridge the digital divide and deliver high-speed internet access to unserved and underserved areas of this state.

This plan represents both a necessary step so Ohio can compete for federal resources as well as a collective effort across public and private sectors to reach areas currently lacking connectivity. The Ohio Broadband Strategy will support economic growth, make Ohio more competitive, and improve the quality of life for newly connected citizens and families – ultimately delivering the modern broadband infrastructure that every Ohioan deserves.

Jon Husted
Lt. Governor