by: Sarah Hudacek, AOF Policy Assistant
Earlier this month, BroadbandOhio, the state office dedicated to improving access to high-speed internet across Ohio, released a new set of broadband access maps that show that even fewer Ohio households have access to broadband than previously thought.
The previously used Federal Communications Commission maps were compiled using data reported from internet service providers, but the new BroadbandOhio maps use speed test records from a period of 15 months to show the internet coverage Ohioans actually receive in their homes on a daily basis.
Check out the two maps side-by-side:
BroadbandOhio’s new map
The previously used FCC map
The most striking difference between the two maps above, the new one on the left and the old on the right, is that the FCC map vastly overestimated broadband access in Northwest Ohio.
Since 2015, the FCC has defined broadband as 25Mbps download and 3Mbps upload. As the COVID-19 pandemic made clear, Ohioans need consistent access to fast, reliable video streaming for telehealth appointments, work meetings, school, visiting with friends and family, and more. As you can see from the BroadbandOhio map legend, 25/3 internet speeds are not the pinnacle of service, but the bare minimum of quality, high-speed internet access.
BroadbandOhio considers households that receive less than 10Mbps download and 1Mbps upload unserved, and households that receive greater than 10/1, but less than 25/3 underserved.
The state of Ohio has for years estimated that 300,000 Ohio households lack broadband access. These new maps paint a much starker picture:
In Ohio, 841,647 households are underserved, receiving less than 25/3 internet speed.
Of those, 475,328 households are unserved, receiving less than 10/1 internet speed.
With a slow push at the federal level to increase the broadband definition to 100Mbps upload and 20Mbps download, more and more of the state could soon be considered underserved. Last year’s Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s ReConnect broadband program both only funded broadband projects with a minimum speed of 100/20.
These maps are a vital step forward in addressing Ohio’s broadband gaps. Most importantly, because maps determine funding. These new maps will be used to determine how much federal funding Ohio is eligible to receive, at a time when last year’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will soon dole out $65 billion in broadband funding.
These maps also elevate broadband advocacy across the state. Without data like this, Ohio’s elected leaders would be making policy and budget decisions on data that underestimated the number of households without broadband access by more than 60 percent.
But these maps come with an important caveat: access does not equal affordability. A monthly internet service plan of $60 or less is considered low-cost, but a $60 monthly charge is a barrier for many families. And, we know in reality that many high-speed plans cost much more. There are certainly households in areas with access to 100/20 speeds, but who are only able to afford 25/3 or lower. Access and affordability must be addressed together in order to comprehensively address the broadband funding gap.