South Central Power Company, an electric cooperative serving more than 125,000 member-owners across 24 Ohio counties, has completed construction on the first eastern Ohio phase of its new high-speed fiber internet service network, connectSCP. connectSCP is a wholly owned division of South Central Power and was created to provide high-speed, broadband internet to parts of 14 counties across southwestern and eastern Ohio.
After completing construction in the New Market area of Highland and Adams counties, the cooperative has now built a fiber-to-the-home network in the Somerton area of Belmont County that will eventually serve consumers in Harrison and Monroe counties as well. The first subscribers will be connected starting in early May, 2024.
connectSCP will offer symmetrical speeds starting at 500 Mbps through fiber-to-the-home to more than 5,700 homes and businesses in eastern Ohio, and will continue to seek new opportunities to grow and expand the network.
connectSCP, in conjunction with the Ohio Mid-Eastern Governments Association (OMEGA), celebrated the completion of the first phase with a ribbon-cutting on April 23, held at Belmont College.
The 30-month project also involves connecting the cooperative’s substation network with the new backbone of fiber-based, smart-grid technology. That means South Central Power will benefit from an increased ability to monitor the efficiency of power delivery, pinpoint issues on the grid and restore power more quickly after outages.
The project is being enabled by grants from BroadbandOhio, a state-sponsored broadband expansion program. South Central received $29,998,000 in grant funds for projects in southwestern Ohio counties including Adams, Brown, Clermont, Fayette, Highland, Ross, Pike and Scioto. In eastern Ohio, the cooperative was awarded $68,043,000 grant funds for projects in Belmont, Carroll, Harrison, Jefferson, Monroe and Noble counties.
“There are still many people in Ohio who lack access to high-speed internet,” said Director Lydia Mihalik of the Ohio Department of Development, which oversees BroadbandOhio. “We’re changing that – one household at a time – by providing the resources communities and internet providers need to complete important expansion projects like this one in eastern Ohio.”
The connectSCP fiber internet network construction will follow the “path of power,” and residents in the communities where the service is being constructed may have already seen the crews building the infrastructure.
“Our goal is that every member of the cooperative has access to high-speed internet, whether it’s from connectSCP or another provider. We want to be part of the solution to closing the digital divide in the rural communities we serve with power,” said Rick Lemonds, president & CEO of South Central Power.
Tom Musick, the co-op’s vice president of engineering and broadband, said, “With the New Market and Somerton area phases complete, we’ll soon be lighting up the fiber internet network to offer symmetrical speeds, whole-home Wi-Fi coupled with outstanding reliability and truly future-proof capacity.” Musick, who heads up the connectSCP division, added, “This will be a game-changer for these previously unserved and underserved communities to attract remote workers, empower telehealth services and online schooling, boost economic development overall, and for families to enjoy the best of streaming, gaming and online communications from home.”
Registration is now open for eligible residents and businesses in the Somerton area to sign up for service at connectSCP.com. For more information, call 800-282-5064 and select option 2 for fiber.