Treasury Department Announces Approval of Federal Funds to Connect Tens of Thousands of Ohioans

The US Department of the Treasury approved $162.5 million in federal funds for broadband infrastructure and multi-purpose community facility projects in Ohio under the American Rescue Plan Act's (ARPA) Capital Projects Fund (CPF). The announcement includes two funding plans: $77.5 million for broadband infrastructure, which the state estimates will connect 15,000 homes and businesses; and $85 million for multi-purpose community facilities, which will bring connectivity to Ohio communities for years to come. Ohio is approved to receive $77.5 million for broadband infrastructure projects, which the state estimates will connect 15,000 homes and businesses to affordable, high-speed internet. This funding will go toward the Ohio Residential Broadband Expansion Grant Program (ORBEG), a competitive broadband grant program designed to fund last-mile broadband infrastructure projects in rural areas currently lacking access to reliable, high-speed internet. Ohio will invest an additional $85 million of CPF funding in Ohio’s Appalachian Community Innovation Campuses Program, a competitive grant program that provides funding to eligible counties within the Appalachian region to construct multi-purpose facilities designed to increase access to education, community health services, and workforce development opportunities. Each campus will provide public education to students across a minimum of six grade levels, health services in partnership with a healthcare provider, and a return-to-work site with internet access. Together, these projects represent 61 percent of the state’s total allocation under the CPF program.