Jefferson County, Ohio, secures $2.5 million grant for broadband expansion in underserved areas

Jefferson County (OH) is receiving $2.5 million in an Appalachian Regional Commission POWER grant to go toward expanding broadband services. The services will be targeted to the underserved areas of the northern part of the county, including the townships of Knox, Ross, Salem, Springfield, Island Creek, and Wayne. "A group of about 750 addresses that have been identified -- the bulk of them are households,” Brooke Hancock Jefferson Metropolitan Planning Commission Executive Director Mike Paprocki said. “There are businesses in that area that try to operate, but their service is either spotty or expensive." The addition will be minimal to taxpayers, as most of the match to the grant will be provided by the internet service.