CONNECTED NATION INC

Every Community Online Program Overview Established in 2007, Connect Ohio has produced data and broadband mapping services for the state of Ohio as well as consultative services for local communities across the state. Local eCommunity Strategy teams operate across the state under Connect Ohio's guidance, working to prioritize Broadband initiatives locally. Connected Nation operates in approximately 30 states. As a part of the local assessment process, community leaders identified Broadband Adoption as a key priority in a majority of the county leadership teams proctored by Connect Ohio. Research indicates that the primary reason for non-adoption in Ohio is lack of value recognition. In 2009, Connect Ohio developed a project to provide training through libraries and community colleges to 200,000 Ohioans who do not recognize the value of broadband service. The project partners with approximately 300 local facilities to provide basic computer knowledge and applied internet usage skills with the goal of producing 75,000 new broadband adopters by July, 2012. As a part of the project, Connect Ohio will direct a statewide Public Awareness Campaign, conveying the value of Broadband service through a variety of media. The project is funded largely through the ARRA. Key components of the project include the provision of web-based curriculum, the reimbursement of instructional costs, development of a self-directed training portal, provision of training equipment (computers) to facilities where they are needed, and the development and delivery of a comprehensive statewide public awareness campaign. The Awareness campaign will reach an estimated 4.2 million households daily with a combination of print, radio, TV, and direct media. A number of key Community Anchor Institutions are partners in the program. Over 60 library systems and almost a dozen Community Colleges are providing facilities and instructors to the program. Together, these partners will deliver more than 80,000 hours of instruction to participants. Other partners include Broadband Service Providers, media and broadcasting concerns, non-profit technology enablers, and computer equipment and software providers. The program is projected to create 136 jobs, direct, indirect, and induced. The majority of these jobs are for instructors across the state, employed or contracted by the Community Anchor partners. Over 2,000 computers will be deployed directly to training facilities to enable the project. Many of these computers will also provide enhanced public access capacity for non-program participants both during and after the training period. Connect Ohio will maintain a Program Office and Field Staff to ensure that the project is coordinated and optimized. Field Staff will equip, oversee, and review local performance over the 2-year period of the program to ensure optimal results. 24 regions across the state are responsible for reaching their citizenry, training them, and developing new Broadband adopters, under the direction of the Field Staff. The state is divided into 3 territories, each with a State Operations Manager overseeing the local partners and coordinated by the Program Office, which is responsible for the statewide campaign, and overall goals. Connect Ohio is responsible for reporting performance to the Department of Commerce, which provides $6.9 million of the projects $10 million budget. Because of the number of subscribers generated, the program creates a substantial market benefit, approximating $31 million in incremental revenue annually for local businesses. The beneficiaries of this business will be invited to support and sustain the program indefinitely.

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