State Awards $20 Million for Route 30 Broadband — but Which Richland County Families Will Actually Get Connected?

Ohio has awarded $20 million to Com Net Inc. to build a fiber backbone along 257 miles of the U.S. Route 30 corridor, spanning 15 counties from Lima through Mansfield to Canton. The project is meant to improve high-speed internet connectivity for communities, businesses, educational institutions, and healthcare providers.

North Central State College in Mansfield is applauding the investment. But the money builds middle-mile infrastructure — a backbone intended to help internet providers expand their own last-mile networks — not lines running directly into homes. Which Richland County families and workers will actually gain access, and when, remains an open question.

A corridor still full of gaps

Richland County Commissioner Tony Vero said the need is clear. "There are pockets of high-speed internet running along Route 30, but the corridor is still one of the areas of Ohio in need of high-speed internet," he said.

State planning documents back that up. An Ohio State/OARnet request for information found Richland County had internet connectivity gaps and pockets of unserved and underserved addresses, with no known existing middle-mile broadband infrastructure meeting corridor needs along U.S. 30. Statewide, Ohio's broadband planning documents identify about 188,000 unserved broadband serviceable locations and about 144,000 underserved locations.

The county has already tried to close part of that gap on its own. In 2023, Richland County commissioners approved $2 million in ARPA funds to extend broadband through Charter/Spectrum to about 748 rural addresses, mainly north of U.S. 30, that lacked even 25/3 Mbps service. A 2026 county report said Spectrum provided written confirmation the work would be completed by December 31, 2026, though the county had not yet been billed.

County officials noted that the ARPA buildout only provides access — customers still must subscribe and pay for service themselves. Spectrum described its pricing as "highly competitive" but did not list a specific monthly rate for these homes; general Spectrum plans in Ohio start around $40 per month for 300 Mbps service. An FCC affordability subsidy may help eligible households.

What the $20 million will — and won't — build

The Route 30 fiber network will run east from Mansfield to Canton and west from Mansfield to Lima, covering 15 counties including Richland, Ashland, and Crawford. The project is designed to reduce the cost of middle-mile transport and make last-mile deployment easier by adding backbone connectivity along the corridor.

Com Net has 24 months to complete construction after the start date, and the infrastructure must remain commercially available for at least 20 years. The state has not yet announced when construction will begin.

Gov. Mike DeWine framed the investment in broad terms. "Reliable high-speed internet starts with having the right infrastructure," he said. "This project will significantly improve connectivity for those living and working along Route 30, providing easier access to the online tools that are necessary in today's economy."

Ohio's BEAD plan does include an affordability requirement: awarded subgrantees must offer a low-cost broadband service option at $30 per month or less in year one, inclusive of all taxes, fees, and charges, with no additional non-recurring consumer fees.

The questions that still need answers

Local officials have not yet disclosed which internet providers will use the Route 30 backbone to extend service to Richland County households, or which specific addresses along the corridor will gain access once the middle-mile network is complete.

Vero called the project a step in the right direction. "This project will fill a critical gap in high-speed internet access across North Central Ohio," he said.

But filling a gap in backbone fiber is not the same as connecting a family's home. For parents whose kids struggle with homework online, workers completing remote training, and rural households outside city limits, the central question remains unanswered: which providers will build the last mile from the Route 30 backbone to their doors, which addresses will be prioritized, and what will it cost?