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Richland leaders announce $20 million in state funding for Route 30 broadband middle‑mile
Summary
County officials and state lawmakers announced a $20 million state GRF appropriation to build a middle‑mile fiber route along Route 30, with a point of presence near Mansfield Airbase; ODOD will coordinate project procurement and local officials said the funding will be distributed across fiscal years 2026 and 2027.
Commissioner Tony Vero and state and local officials announced that the state has appropriated $20,000,000 in General Revenue Fund (GRF) money for a Route 30 broadband expansion project aimed at building a middle‑mile fiber route across North Central Ohio.
The funding was presented as a two‑part appropriation that makes roughly $10,500,000 available in fiscal 2026 and the remaining funds available in fiscal 2027. State Representative Marilyn John and a presenter identified in the meeting as Dr. Diab credited years of local advocacy and legislative support for securing the appropriation.
The project will join the Ohio Academic Resources Network (ORNET) and create a point of presence, or POP, near the Mansfield airbase to connect the corridor into the state’s network backbone. “It’s about—it’s like water and electricity. Right? We cannot live without it,” Dr. Diab said, describing internet capacity as a modern utility for education, research and business. Barrett, who the meeting identified as the technical speaker, described a POP as a connection node on the backbone similar to an on‑ramp on a freeway and said the work is “middle mile” infrastructure meant to make last‑mile builds by local ISPs cheaper and more feasible.
Why it matters: County officials said the middle‑mile route will make it cheaper for local internet service providers to extend fiber to homes and businesses that currently lack high‑speed options. “When that connection point is a quarter mile instead of five miles, build‑out costs drop dramatically,” Barrett said. Officials also cited the Mansfield airbase transition and expanded cyber mission as reasons the corridor’s additional network capacity is urgent for both national security and local economic growth.
Details and next steps: County officials said the Ohio Department of Development (ODOD) will coordinate the appropriation and the procurement process. According to comments at the meeting, ODOD will contact Richland County to discuss issuing an RFP and whether the work is bid as a single corridor project between Canton and Lima or in sections (for example, Mansfield to Kent and Mansfield to Lima). Commissioner Vero and other local leaders said they expect Richland County to press to start construction in the Mansfield area because the POP is planned there, but they acknowledged ODOD will determine the procurement and phasing.
Estimates and uncertainties discussed: Speakers said $20 million is an estimate produced with input from ORNET (also referred to as OARnet in the meeting), BroadbandOhio and interested ISPs, and that the figure could change once design and procurement are complete. Local figures cited included a separate northern‑county last‑mile project estimated at about $8.2 million to serve roughly 750 locations, of which Richland’s contribution was stated as $2,000,000. Meeting participants also said individual last‑mile build costs can be high in rural areas—local examples ranged into the tens of thousands of dollars for a single property—so the middle‑mile backbone is intended to lower those barriers.
Right‑of‑way and regulatory notes: County officials reported early conversations with the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) indicated sufficient right‑of‑way along U.S. Highway 30 and no immediate objections, but they said detailed permitting and any federal involvement remain to be clarified during project design. The meeting also referenced the federal BEAD (Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment) funding context and state budgeting processes as background to the appropriation.
What leaders asked of residents and partners: Officials asked local governments, ISPs and other counties within the corridor to coordinate with ODOD and Richland County as ODOD begins procurement and design work. James Kennedy of the County Commissioners Association of Ohio was credited with legislative outreach and tracking vetoes during the budget process.
The announcement was framed as the start of implementation rather than a finished project: ODOD will lead procurement, Richland County officials said they intend to be “at the table” during RFP and contracting phases, and the timeline for construction and service availability will be determined after ODOD completes scoping and bidding.
