Today, the Ohio Chamber delivered proponent testimony on House Bill 13 (HB 13) in front of the Senate Energy and Public Utilities Committee. As the bill is currently written, private companies can submit proposals to the Department of Commerce to address the broadband needs of a specific location. These areas of need may be identified by a board of county commissioners, on behalf of a township or municipality in their jurisdiction, and then publicized by the Department of Commerce.

The applications will then be reviewed by a dedicated Broadband Expansion Program Authority inside the Department of Commerce using a weighted scoring system to award the state funds requested by the applicant to make a specific project economically viable. This process encourages leaders at all levels of government to work with private sector providers to identify solutions that address the needs of the community while supporting economic growth.

Passage of HB 13 will allow the state of Ohio to begin the first phase of providing access to high-speed internet for some of the 300,000 Ohio households that currently lack access to high-speed internet. For Ohio to continue to compete, innovate and meet the technological opportunities of the 21st century it needs to find ways to deploy broadband services to all areas of the state. 

To illustrate this point, :Hire CEO and President, Larry Kidd, joined the Ohio Chamber on Tuesday and added his testimony to provide firsthand experiences with slow or nonexistent broadband in southern Ohio, and how that lack of broadband is hampering day-to-day life during this pandemic. Mr. Kidd is the former chairman of the Board of Directors here at the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, and we welcome his efforts to help move this piece of legislation toward passage. 

Mr. Kidd’s testimony demonstrated how our lives are becoming more dependent on technology during this health pandemic. Whether for education, business, healthcare or shopping for goods and services, our need for reliable high-speed internet access is very important in our daily life. With increases in access to high-speed internet connectivity, Ohioans will enjoy new economic and educational opportunities. This in turn will foster the development of a workforce ready to meet the economic challenges of the 21st century and keep Ohio a great place to work and raise a family.  The Ohio Chamber urges the General Assembly to pass HB 13 and send it to the governor for signature.