Connect Ohio releases broadband info

Van Wert independent/contributor content

COLUMBUS — This past Friday, Connect Ohio hosted the 2011 second-quarter Technology Association Meeting at the Vern Riffe Center in Columbus, with 59 stakeholders, broadband providers, and library and community representatives in attendance.

Since June 2008, Connect Ohio has provided mapping and research to identify broadband opportunities for Ohio’s citizens. Since its initial assessments, Connect Ohio has worked with both public and private partners to develop programs to increase broadband availability, adoption, and use.

New statewide and county-level technology adoption data was discussed at the meeting. The data was gathered by Connect Ohio and Connected Nation, Connect Ohio’s parent organization, through a survey of Ohio adults. The detailed technology analysis explores adoption of computers and broadband use into households throughout the state. This data is available for viewing on Connect Ohio’s website.

Tom Fritz, Connect Ohio’s executive director, along with Tom Koutsky, Connected Nation’s chief policy counsel, and Chris McGovern, research development manager, highlighted key data from the research, including the following:

• Currently, 80 percent of Ohioans own a computer, which is an increase from 2008 (76 percent), but a decrease from 2010 (82 percent). While traditional computer use is leveling, there is a marked increase in the number of Ohioans who rely on a mobile device as their primary access to broadband service.
• Approximately 60 percent of Ohioans own a desktop computer and 45 percent own a laptop computer.  Reliance on laptop computers and other portable devices is surging.
• Home broadband adoption has increased to 66 percent in 2011 from 55 percent in 2008. However, home broadband adoption leveled from last year, which was also 66 percent.
• Ohio’s home broadband adoption rate is above the national average for 2011, which is 63 percent.
• 72 percent of Ohio adults either subscribe to home broadband service or use mobile broadband service.
• Average download speeds have steadily increased in Ohio, increasing from 1.7 Mbps in 2008 to 6.3 Mbps in 2011.

New county-level technology adoption data was also highlighted and the data for each of Ohio’s 88 counties will be released next week.

• In Franklin County, household broadband adoption grew from 67 percent in 2008 to 72 percent in 2011.
• Crawford County broadband adoption grew from just 31 percent in 2008 to 69 percent in 2011, a 123 per cent growth.
• Meigs, Monroe, and Noble counties’ household broadband adoption growth was more than 150 percent between 2008 and 2011.

The meeting also detailed the current status of the Every Citizen Online (ECO) program, a two-year effort to increase sustainable broadband adoption for more than 200,000 state residents by providing free computer training sessions throughout Ohio. Since the program’s launch in late December, 222 locations are offering the ECO program, more than 7,200 Ohio adults have taken advantage of the free basic computer training, and more than 8,600 have registered for training through the online site http://eco.connectohio.org/.

Connect Ohio Technical Outreach Manager Bart Winegar gave attendees an overview of current last-mile assistance projects in Ohio, which include eight counties. The last-mile projects offer assistance to Ohio communities that lack access to broadband by identifying, researching, and mapping unserved areas and interacting with local planning teams to determine the best practices to increase broadband capacity in that area. Winegar also presented details of recent broadband expansion activity.