The OLC testified before the House Finance Committee in support of a bill that would provide internet access to under-served regions of the state. House Bill 13 would establish the Residential Broadband Expansion (RBE) Program which would make grants available to extend broadband internet access to under-served areas of Ohio. The bill targets the issue of “last-mile” connectivity, where it is too expensive for private broadband companies to extend their services.

Michelle Francis, OLC’s Director of Government and Legal Services, explained to the committee that public libraries have seen first-hand the need for broadband access in rural, urban and even suburban areas of Ohio.

“Access to the internet in today’s society is critical and unfortunately, there are still individuals and parts of the state that still lack access to this basic utility,” Francis said. “In 2018, our public library computers were utilized more than 14 million times for the internet, library customers downloaded more than 42 million digital materials and logged 22.7 million Wi-Fi sessions.”

Francis also noted that many public libraries leave their Wi-Fi signals on after the library has closed because they know there is a need.

“We have examples where families will sit in their cars in the parking lot of the library after hours so that their children can complete their homework. In one library branch in particular in Southeast Ohio, 50% of their Wi-Fi usage is when the library is closed,” Francis said.

Francis explained that public libraries are doing what they can to help people who do not have broadband connectivity at home. In addition, to computer and internet access in their facilities, more than 80 public library systems are lending Wi-Fi hotspots to use outside of the library. The demand is so great that in some areas, there are wait times of 2-3 months for these devices.

A recording of today’s testimony is available on the Ohio Channel (OLC’s testimony starts at the 39:10 mark). The OLC received a number of questions from the committee regarding the 2020 Census, Lynda.com/LinkedIn Learning, and Grow with Google.

Read a transcript of OLC’s testimony (PDF)