Spectrum project to bring broadband, other services to rural Muskingum County

Rural Muskingum County residents and businesses will soon have access to broadband and other services, as Charter Communications (Spectrum) announced its $30.6 million project on Friday.

Activations for the first project started in parts of Highland, Rich Hill, Salt Creek and Washington townships in 2022. Will Simms, director of Construction in Ohio, said around 900 of the estimated 3,210 locations have already been activated as part of the project through the Federal Communication Commission's Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF).

The second project, which was announced on Friday, is through the Residential Broadband Expansion Grant and will bring access to an additional 1,795 locations. Simms said the work will be done over the next few years.

Both will allow rural residence access to Spectrum Internet, TV, Mobile and Voice services.

"There are a lot of homes and residences who haven't had access to these services before," Simms said. "People had to move to cities to get this access, and now they can stay in their current locations. It's an exciting time to be able to expand our services and help people in rural areas."

Numerous state and county representatives were on hand, including State Senator Al Landis, State Rep Adam Holmes, County Commissioner Mollie Crooks, New Concord Mayor Jennifer Lyle and Zanesville City Councilman Cody Pettit.

Landis praised Spectrum for stepping up and helping the county improve the lives of its residences.

"This is going to enhance the quality of life for numerous people and businesses," Landis said. "Not only will it help keep companies and people here, but it will also help us attract new businesses. This will touch the lives of many people and provide an opportunity to succeed in multiple facets of life."