Spectrum to invest $1.25 billion to extend, upgrade service in Ohio, Appalachia

Cable and internet company Spectrum said Wednesday that it will spend $1.25 billion to expand and speed up service in Ohio, including extending broadband to unserved and underserved parts of the state.

Of the $1.25 billion, nearly $750 million will be spent to expand Spectrum's fiberoptic network to bring broadband to previously unserved areas in more than 60 Ohio counties, said the company, which released details of its plans at an event at the Ohio Chamber Downtown attended by state business and political leaders.

The investment, offset by nearly nearly $200 million in federal, state and local grants, will bring broadband to nearly 140,000 unserved homes and small businesses, according to Spectrum.

"It’s a big deal for a lot of our rural communities because you cannot participate in a modern economy, modern education system or healthcare system without access to high speed internet," Lt. Gov Jon Husted said at the event. "It is an economic issue. It’s also a quality of life issue."

Since June, Spectrum said it has brought broadband to thousands of previously unserved and underserved homes and small businesses in counties such as Tuscarawas, Vinton, Muskingum and Clinton, with work continuing around the state.

As part of the company's rural construction initiative, the company has added 2,700 miles of lines that can serve more than 24,000 customers.

The work has come even as Spectrum has filed a complaint with state utility regulators against power company AEP Ohio, claiming that AEP has been dragging its feet on processing applications from Spectrum that would give the company access to AEP poles for Spectrum wires.

The company did not address the issue at Wednesday's announcement.

Federal, state and local help driving Spectrum push

Central to the expansion is Spectrum's participation in the Federal Communications Commission's Rural Digital Opportunity Fund meant to bring high-speed internet service to an estimated 110,000 homes and small businesses, 80,000 of them in Appalachian counties.

Spectrum also is involved in public-private partnerships including the Ohio Residential Broadband Expansion Grant Program and various county-funded programs that will add tens of thousands of additional homes and small businesses to its network. Spectrum also continues to expand its network to additional unserved homes and small businesses through 100% Spectrum-funded buildouts.

"These investments in Ohio are providing the critical infrastructure so many Ohio families and small businesses need to compete in the digital world,” Adam Falk, senior vice president of state government affairs for Spectrum parent Charter Communications, said in a statement.

"Through this multiyear investment in our network, we will ensure that customers across our entire Ohio service area will receive even faster broadband speeds, with the network security and reliability they have come to reply upon," he said.

Separate Spectrum project meant to drive faster internet speeds in Ohio

Separately, the company is investing nearly $500 million in a project meant to drive faster internet speeds throughout its Ohio network.

Work already has started in the Cincinnati area and will be completed across the company's Ohio service area by the end of 2025.

This project will give Spectrum the ability to provide speeds of 25, 50 or 100 gigabits per second for high-bandwidth users with fiber on demand across the vast majority of its 41-state network.

Spectrum serves more than 2.8 million customers across the state.

mawilliams@dispatch.com

@BizMarkWilliams

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Spectrum to invest $1.25 billion to extend, upgrade service in Ohio