By Michael Martinez
(Wednesday, Aug. 1) Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland wants every county in his state to have high-speed Internet access, so last week the Democrat signed an executive order establishing a special council tasked with improving broadband accessibility.
The Ohio Broadband Council also will be responsible for deploying a statewide broadband data network and coordinating all state-funded, broadband-related activities.
According to the order, private companies have not made broadband universally available on their own. The architects of the new statewide network will have to make it accessible to state agencies in every county.
"Access to broadband is as critical to advanced technology and service industry employers as are roads, rails and electric service to manufacturers," the executive order said. "Building on the state's investment in broadband infrastructure will help create a competitive, well-connected state economy."
Ohio's chief information officer and the director of the state's supercomputer center will be the co-chairs of the council. The speaker of the state House and the president of the state Senate each will be allowed to nominate a representative to the panel. The council also will include representatives from various public agencies and private businesses.
In a statement, Strickland said the new council and network are crucial parts of the solution to bridging the "digital divide" between people in Ohio with and without technology, and that the projects will make efficient and responsible use of public money.
Other states have undertaken aggressive broadband projects recently. Rhode Island is building a statewide wireless network, and South Carolina is studying the feasibility of such a plan.
Several recent studies have examined the struggles of state governments to make broadband more available in rural and low-income areas.
A report published in July by the Public Policy Institute of California found that as of 2005, less than half the households in that state had broadband access. The local group Berkshire Connect recently concluded that about 10 percent of Massachusetts communities have no access to traditional broadband services from private providers.
The report on California noted that several cities have launched municipal broadband projects. But it suggested that because so many of those initiatives are being undertaken in urban areas, lawmakers have neglected the urgency of the problem in rural neighborhoods.
"Policymakers, therefore, should think less in terms of closing the gap between urban and rural availability, lest they hold back urban initiatives, and more in terms of raising the absolute level of rural availability," the report said.
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