Plan to provide wireless in Columbiana
The county is working with a group in Cleveland.
By D.A. WILKINSON
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
SALEM — A rural county could become a garden spot for development and modern living under a new plan by the Columbiana County Port Authority.
The authority will move ahead with a plan to provide wireless Internet service throughout the county.
The move could revolutionize businesses and lifestyles, according to Tracy Drake, the authority’s chief executive officer.
“We can provide it,” Drake said.
After meeting with local officials and community leaders who support the idea, Drake said the authority will move ahead. The port authority will apply for federal grants to pay about two-thirds of the estimated $5 million cost.
The authority has fiber-optic lines that can handle huge amounts of information. B-Telecom Inc. of Chardon is building a data-storage facility at the authority’s trade park in Leetonia. Drake said companies — local and others — and local residents could store their backup data at the facility.
What it can do
B-Telecom will store backup data because hospitals have been told to maintain all records electronically. Drake said banks have also been told by the federal government to go “paperless.”
Drake said he thinks the wireless network would help safety forces, who could obtain medical and other records en route to calls.
It would also aid economic development and add value to properties and the communities.
The Salem Area Chamber of Commerce is trying to promote creation of Internet companies. Drake said that with the service, people could run companies from the county while avoiding crowded and expensive city living.
Mark Ansboury of OneCommunity, a nonprofit organization in Cleveland, is working with the authority. OneCommunity is trying to get Internet in portions of the city. In Cleveland, there are customers, but no high-speed lines.
In Columbiana County, the lines exist, but potential customers can’t access them at this time. Drake said an intern at the authority who lives north of Lisbon has to move if he wants to get such service.
The reception equipment needed could be put on poles or buildings for about $60 to $100 a home. The monthly cost may be about $15 a month for what Drake said would be very fast service.
Installation for businesses might cost about $500, and rates would also be proportionately higher than home rates, he estimated.
The service would aid education and could help students stay in the area instead of moving away to attend college. Drake said the main campus of Kent State University has wireless communication. The KSU branches in the county do not.
A lack of wireless communication could hurt local businesses. “It’s a need,” Drake said.
wilkinson@vindy.com