State House Rep. Brian Stewart Big Part Of Bill Attempting To Connect Broadband To Rural Ohio

Presented By Hometown-Motors, Inc.

Former Pickaway County Commissioner Brian Stewart has jumped right into work as the new Ohio House 78th District Representative, co-sponsoring legislation known as House Bill 2 that includes helping tech companies development broadband service in Southeast Ohio.

The plan puts $210 million of state funds into the effort to get broadband into underserved areas. Stewart says this is for homes, not big companies.

Stewart says “Access to the internet has become the number one issue in southeastern Ohio and basically every underserved area in the state. We already had problems before COVID which has shined a big spotlight on all of these problems. We have gone to remote learning, but kids have to sit outside McDonald’s parking lot to do their homework. We have parents driving around late at night trying to upload school assignments and try to find a WiFi signal. And for those wanting to work from home, you can’t do that if you don’t have the internet.”

Stewart added that some of his constituents have told him they lost their jobs because they were unable to work from home.

Plans by Spectrum to install internet in some areas is separate from what House Bill 2 will do. 

Representative Stewart hopes the state senate will quickly pass the bill and claims Governor DeWine is ready to sign it. If approved, Stewart says funds could start being shipped to areas for internet infrastructure work to begin before the end of the year.