Grant Funds Wireless Hotspots for Shawnee, Ohio

Grant Funds Wireless Hotspots for Shawnee

Shawnee has two new public WiFi hotspots thanks to a grant from the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio, in partnership with AEP Ohio, that Rural Action helped to secure. Dan Vorisek, Community Coach in Rural Action’s Resilient Communities program, worked with mayor Bev Trovato to write the grant, which funded installation of hotspots at Shawnee Village Park and Shawnee Village Hall.

"We do not have the funding to do it ourselves, and it is very wonderful that AEP is committed to our community" said Mayor Trovato. The new access points will make it easier for residents to attend school,  work remotely and access telehealth services while providing Internet access for things like job searches. They also will bolster tourism by providing visitors with access during events hosted in town when community gatherings are again possible. It is estimated that an additional 300  community members will have reliable internet access as a result of the new hotspot installations.

“The coronavirus pandemic has increased conversations about rural broadband access, especially among policymakers,” Dan says, noting that the Shawnee hotspots will be valuable for tourism and local access even after the pandemic has passed. For more details or for information about how the Rural Action Resilient Communities program is helping local communities and entrepreneurs, you can contact dan@ruralaction.org