Swearingen Supports, Ohio House Passes Significant Broadband Bill

State Rep. D.J. Swearingen (R-Huron) voted to support House Bill 13 - one of the Ohio House’s priority pieces of legislation - that will help to expand broadband to the nearly one million Ohioans lacking a reliable internet connection, including 300,000 households having no broadband options. The significant legislation passed in the Ohio House earlier today.

The bill creates the state’s first Residential Broadband Expansion Program, which will provide grants to offset construction cost hurdles and help facilitate the expansion of high-speed internet to unserved households around the state.

“Expanding broadband has been a priority for this General Assembly before the coronavirus began, and with this crisis, it really emphasizes how critical it is for Ohioans to have access to high-speed internet,” said Swearingen.

Another part of the bill is the informal commitment of $20 million to fund the grant program for the remainder of the state’s budget biennium. This grant program fulfills a key goal under the Ohio Broadband Strategy, a report issued last December by Governor DeWine and the Office of InnovateOhio, led by Lt. Governor Jon Husted, to improve connectivity throughout Ohio.

In addition to the increase in grant funds, the bill also creates an application process to increase the efficiency of the program; a system of weights intended to prioritize projects that will provide service to unserved and distressed areas of the state; and several other regulatory changes which will help to reduce barriers to broadband expansion.

The legislation now heads over to the Senate for further consideration.