CHESTERHILL GETS CONNECTED
Thanks to communication technology, education can reach far beyond the literal classroom. Here’s why and how residents of one Appalachian community now have the world at their fingertips. By Eileen Dempsey
Imagine trying to run a business or take online educational or training courses without broadband Internet access at your fingertips. It seems almost impossible, doesn’t it?
But for many rural communities, the lack of high-speed Internet service is a fact of life.
Without that access, the Appalachian town of Chesterhill, Ohio, was on the “wrong side of the digital divide,” according to a report filed by the Technology Infrastructure Group. The report described a project to deploy advanced Internet services and technologies over a satellite infrastructure to rural Ohio communities.
Now, with the help of Ohio State, Chesterhill residents are taking full advantage of educational and economic opportunities available in cyberspace, despite being located far from terrestrial broadband Internet access.
The 300 or so residents of the village in Morgan County, about 90 miles southeast of Columbus, are benefiting from a project led by Ohio State’s Office of the Chief Information Officer (CIO).
“We placed a three-foot satellite dish behind the Chesterhill Library, and that provides for Internet connectivity via satellite,” said Alan Escovitz, director of external affairs for the CIO. “The satellite essentially bypasses the need for a land line to connect to the Internet.
“We ran a network connection to the library, so now the library has access to the Internet, and we put in a wireless router so that people could use laptops in the library and still get connected to the Internet.”
In addition, an antenna on the library’s rooftop and another on the village’s water tower—the highest point in town—provide wireless connectivity to downtown Chesterhill and the surrounding area, said Bob Dixon, the CIO’s chief research engineer.
“The village created a community building located between the library and water tower, and we got six computers and a printer donated so they could create a learning center for workforce development,” Escovitz said.
“Ohio State wanted to provide the technical infrastructure; and we wanted educational resources located in or adjacent to Morgan County, such as Washington State Community College, to provide online computer courses and other educational opportunities.”
The Connecting Rural Ohio project in Chesterhill was achieved through partnerships with local, regional, and state education and government institutions. It’s part of a broader effort by agencies and groups in central and southeastern Ohio to link instruction and learning; teachers and students; and schools, homes, and businesses via broadband Internet connectivity.
A similar project was completed in 2003 in New Straitsville, in Perry County. Next up is the Gallia County village of Vinton.
“It’s important for Ohio State to become involved in projects like this,” Escovitz said. “It’s part of our mission as a public land-grant institution.”
*This article appeared in the January/February 2007 issue of Ohio State Alumni Magazine. The magazine is a benefit of membership in the Alumni Association. Learn more about the benefits of membership and how you can make Ohio State stronger at membership services, or call 1-800-762-JOIN.
