Established in House Bill 33 of the 135th General Assembly, the Broadband Pole Replacement and Undergrounding Program will advance broadband access to residences and businesses throughout Ohio by reimbursing the costs of necessary pole replacements, mid-span pole installations and undergrounding projects that have taken place after July 1, 2023.
The program awards reimbursement grants to qualifying internet service providers to help with the cost of expanding broadband infrastructure. Qualifying broadband service under this program is considered retail wireline broadband service delivering internet access at speeds of 100 Mbps download and 100 Mbps upload.
Reimbursements may be made for costs related to pole replacement or mid-span pole installation, including expenditures to remove and dispose of an existing utility pole, purchase, and install a replacement utility pole, and transfer any existing equipment to the new pole. Under this program, undergrounding costs, including the costs to dig a trench, perform directional boring, install conduit and seal the trench are eligible for reimbursement, but only if undergrounding is required by law, regulation or local ordinance, or if it is more economical than the cost of performing a pole replacement.
The program will reimburse qualifying applicants an amount equal to the lesser of $7,500 or 75% of the total amount paid by the applicant for each pole replacement or mid-span pole installation. For undergrounding costs, the reimbursement amount may not exceed the amount available if the applicant had attached broadband infrastructure to utility poles instead of undergrounding the infrastructure.
Download the application packet here.
|