Stimulus money to fund broadband in region
Apr. 7--The U.S. Department of Commerce has awarded Zito Media Communications of Coudersport, Pa., a $6.1 million stimulus grant to create a six-county fiber-optic ring, which will include Ashtabula County.
The grant comes through an alphabet soup of federal agencies -- the money is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act -- and is funneled through the National Telecommunica-tions and Information Administration's (NTIA's) Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP).
Broadband is the infrastructure, usually fiber-optic cable, over which
large amounts of data can be transmitted. BTOP provides grants to support the deployment of broadband infrastructure, enhance and expand public computer centers, and encourage sustainable adoption of broadband service.
Zito Media, which has cable franchises in parts of Ashtabula County, will use the money create a 382-mile fiber ring with 10 gigabits of capacity across Geauga, Ashtabula and Trumbull counties in northeast Ohio and Erie, Crawford and Mercer counties in northwestern Pennsylvania. The Northeastern Ohio and Northwestern Pennsylvania Fiber Ring Project also proposes to facilitate affordable broadband service for consumers and businesses by allowing local Internet service providers to connect to this "open network."
The grant comes through an alphabet soup of federal agencies -- the money is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act -- and is funneled through the National Telecommunica-tions and Information Administration's (NTIA's) Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP).
Broadband is the infrastructure, usually fiber-optic cable, over which
large amounts of data can be transmitted. BTOP provides grants to support the deployment of broadband infrastructure, enhance and expand public computer centers, and encourage sustainable adoption of broadband service.
Zito Media, which has cable franchises in parts of Ashtabula County, will use the money create a 382-mile fiber ring with 10 gigabits of capacity across Geauga, Ashtabula and Trumbull counties in northeast Ohio and Erie, Crawford and Mercer counties in northwestern Pennsylvania. The Northeastern Ohio and Northwestern Pennsylvania Fiber Ring Project also proposes to facilitate affordable broadband service for consumers and businesses by allowing local Internet service providers to connect to this "open network."
posted by Connect Ohio at
8:11 AM
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