A recent proposal aims to turn one of the least connected communities in the country into one of the most connected.
CUYAHOGA COUNTY, Ohio — In Cuyahoga County, close to 18% of households lack internet access. The statistic climbs to 40% when looking at families with an annual income of less than $20,000.
“If not for the Rescue Plan dollars, we would have trouble coming up with those funds. So the timing is good because we did receive some funds from the federal government that we can use for this purpose,” Budish said. “We will be one of the first, certainly in Ohio and maybe in the country, to say that we’ve got everyone covered,” said Budish.
“All of the economic and social impact of not being able to do a resume at home, having to do your homework at the library, having to do telehealth at the library or on a phone outside… all those barriers compound and feed into poverty issues,” explained Bryan Mauk, the Chief Innovation Officer at PCs for People.
The broadband expansion would roll out in three phases over two years. In the first six months, census tracts near Bedford, Brooklyn, East Cleveland, Parma, and Warrensville Heights would begin upgrades.