Dear Editor:
The Ohio Senate, led by a Republican supermajority, passed draconian measures in the state budget bill last week. In addition to policies accompanying the budget—from limiting state oversight of nursing facilities to ending protections on childcare quality — Republicans axed support of broadband services to Ohio rural residents.
As originally proposed with $250 million by Gov. DeWine and Lt. Gov. Husted, the broadband support would have finally addressed a common rural inequity that makes attracting employers and tax-paying homeowners difficult, let alone posing challenges for rural families: lack of access to high-speed internet. The Republican budget also makes it nearly impossible for Ohio to benefit from any federal funds for broadband.
Rural voters need to rethink who they are electing to statewide office. These Republican senators have yet to offer an explanation that demonstrates they have citizens and not super-sized cable companies in mind with this move. Without incentive to invest in broadband infrastructure, rural communities will continue to decline, unable to compete with suburban and urban areas for manufacturing and small businesses.
If Spectrum wanted to expand services into these areas, they would have done it years ago. They won’t because it isn’t profitable, which means the public sector needs to step in to get the ball rolling. Senate Republicans, however, won’t let rural towns and villages receive any funds to support this infrastructure.
You have to wonder if our senator, Andrew Brenner, really cares at all about those of us in Knox County. You might recall he became the laughingstock of Twitter and national news when he was caught wearing a seatbelt (because he was DRIVING) with a Zoom background of his office during a legislative meeting.
Brenner isn’t worried about broadband. He flaunts his access while one out of five Knox County taxpayers have nothing.
The recent budget passed by Brenner and his cronies is an affront to all Ohioans. We have two solutions in front of us now: first, end gerrymandering so that voters actually have a say in their representatives and, second, end the Republican supermajority in 2022.
Sincerely,
Meg Galipault
Mount Vernon, Ohio
