S.B. No. 225 Summary

• Creates the Ohio Broadband Development Grant Program administered by the Director of Development Services to fund broadband infrastructure construction in unserved areas of the state.

• Eligible applicants include private businesses, political subdivisions, nonprofit telecommunications entities, and cooperatives; grants may not exceed 50% of project cost or $5 million, whichever is less.

• Prioritizes applications serving economically distressed areas, important community institutions (libraries, schools, healthcare facilities), and projects leveraging additional public or private funding sources.

• Appropriates $50 million for fiscal year 2018 and $50 million for fiscal year 2019 to fund grants, with $1 million annually designated for independent organizations to collect broadband deployment data and create state broadband maps.

• Allows the Director to deny applications if broadband providers credibly demonstrate they currently provide or will provide benchmark-speed broadband service within 24 months of initial contact.