1,000 homes in northwest Dayton have no Internet. City wants to change that

The city of Dayton is searching for a vendor to help bring high-speed internet to some high-poverty areas in the northwestern part of the city using federal coronavirus relief money. The city has issued a notice of funding opportunities that says it has $1.4 million in federal CARES Act dollars available to expand broadband access to multiple neighborhoods, including Philadelphia Woods, Fairview, Hillcrest, Dayton View, Mount Vernon, and Santa Clara. About 952 households in those neighborhoods do not have internet access, or nearly a quarter of the total (22.8%), according to Census data. The city is interested in offering free wireless internet to those neighborhoods and possibly others during the pandemic when a lot of business activities, work, learning and medical services have shifted to online platforms, officials said.