EATON — The Preble County Board of Commissioners met with Sam Bain and Jason Kershner of Charter Communications, more commonly branded as Spectrum, on Monday, Jan. 30, for the purpose of discussing broadband expansion within Preble County.
Kershner and Bain explained in 2023, Spectrum looks to expand its network availability to more of the county, as well as increase attainable internet speeds for both urban and rural areas. In order to find which regions within the county are going unserved, Charter will perform a “white space analysis,” which will give more clear information on the numbers of Preble County residents currently with limited or no connection.
Commissioner Adam Craft inquired as to what internet speeds Charter is currently pursuing with the expansion.
“So, if you’re in the Charter footprint today, if you’re a Spectrum customer, we have gigabit service, which is a thousand megabits per second. So, we have up to a gigabit of service. The locations we’re building through these grant programs are going to have the same offerings,” answered Kershner.
Currently, the fastest internet speeds in the United States are around 2,000 megabits per second, with a household average download speed of 94 megabits per second. These averages often fall drastically in rural areas, largely due to increased data travel time or lack of fibers.
Kershner added, the network is scalable, meaning it can be improved and built upon as time goes on and technology provides. Current speeds could “grow significantly” from the original rates.
Kershner also stated Spectrum is an active participant in the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP,) an income eligible program through the federal government which provides cheaper options for households in need.
“We created a product called Spectrum 100, it’s 100 megabits of internet based on income eligibility that nears the ACP. It’s $29.99 and the credit of ACP is $30. So, you can take your ACP credit, apply it to Spectrum 100, and you’re getting internet at no cost,” said Kershner.
Commissioners expressed their gratitude for the expansion, hoping it will give students and residents in rural Preble County more opportunities for connectivity.
In other business:
•Commissioners approved resolution #102-23-202, authorizing the expenditure of $24,060 to purchase and have delivered four in-car video cameras for the Preble County Sheriff’s office, to be used in county vehicles.
•Commissioners also received the Preble County Sheriff’s monthly jail report for December 2022, which noted 683 male admissions, 245 female admissions, and an average daily count in the jail of 41 individuals.
Reach Nathan Hoskins at 937-683-4057.
