A federal stimulus grant aimed at expanding Ohio's high-speed broadband network is expected to create up to 500 jobs.
A $45 million federal stimulus grant will help a local Internet provider add 1,000 miles of fiber-optic cable in Northeast Ohio.OneCommunity, a nonprofit Internet provider to public organizations, announced Wednesday that it has received a $44.8 million federal stimulus grant that will add 1,000 miles of fiber optic cable to its broadband network throughout Northeast Ohio, creating up to 500 jobs and bringing affordable Internet access to an estimated 800 institutions.
Construction is scheduled to begin this fall, said Andrea Castrovillari, OneCommunity's director of development and Communications. Work should go through the summer of 2013. The group estimates that the project will directly create nearly 200 jobs, primarily in construction, engineering, operations and consulting. Other jobs will be created indirectly, such as those relating to providing equipment and materials. Still others are expected to be created by the institutions, including schools and hospitals, since they will benefit from cheaper and better broadband access, Castrovillari said.
Scot Rourke, president and Chief Executive Officer of OneCommunity said more and better broadband access makes Northeast Ohio more competitive in the global economy.
"This project will position Ohio as a national leader in deployed broadband infrastructure, opening the door for the attraction of significant outside corporate investment and localcommunity benefit," he said in a press release. "Once completed, Ohio will possess a unique environment for the design, development, testing and deployment of advanced e-government, telemedicine, biotech and 21st century learning applications."