CLEVELAND — As people struggle to survive in the digital age without high-speed internet, especially during the pandemic, the Biden administration announced this week it is allocating billions of dollars to a high-speed internet grant program.
On the east side of Cleveland, Prime Meats stays busy providing the community with fresh meats every day. The owner of Prime Meats, Dana Thomas, said over their 13 years in business, one of the things that's made their job harder is weak internet.
“It’s the lines — the lines are old, the underground lines,” said Thomas.
At one point, they didn't have broadband for six weeks, she said, adding that the internet would drop every time it rained, affecting their business.
“It’s frustrating because we can't take transactions through our POSes, like our point of sales systems, and then people walk out without the food,” said Thomas.
Though in January AT&T fixed the issue, her business is just one example of the city's lack of internet access in certain areas. According to the Center for Community Solutions, 14% of Ohio does not have access to internet.
“What we see is that you have folks who are older, you know, folks who are over the age of 65, folks who are lower income and nonwhite residents who typically have lower rates of internet access,” said Alex Dorman a research fellow at The Center for Community Solutions.
Dorman says internet is crucial in today's world where everything is online and affects so much.
“If you don't have access to the internet and devices to connect to the internet, that can have serious ramifications for your health, your wellbeing. In some ways, you're being left behind,” said Dorman.
So, the White House is allocating $42.45 billion to provide affordable, reliable, high-speed internet to states across the country through the high-speed internet grant program. Ohio alone will get almost 800 million of those dollars, and Alex believes it’s a good step.
“We absolutely know the need is there, and that's exciting to me,” said Dorman.
And Dana agrees, adding the neighborhood has needed it for quite a long time.
“We're excited; I can't wait,” Dorman said. “I heard there will be changes and upgrades; I hope we see them soon.”
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