As the school year kicks off in August, a powerful new tool is coming to homes across northwest Ohio an northeast Indiana — one that won't fit in a backpack, but will carry students far: high-speed fiber internet from Paulding Putnam.
Set to connect its first homes this fall, Paulding Putnam's broadband initiative will deliver reliable, high-speed fiber internet to rural communities that have long struggled with slow, spotty, or unaffordable service. The impact will be transformative for students and educators alike.
"In today's modern society, everything we do revolves around the internet," says Tom Taylor, Superintendent of the Western Buckeye Educational Service Center, which supports multiple area school districts. "Students are taking college classes online, accessing assignments through Google Classroom, and participating in remote learning. Without reliable high-speed internet at home, they're missing out on all of that."
The digital divide is especially severe in rural communities. National data from the FCC shows that rural students are 1.6 times more likely to lack high-speed internet at home than their urban peers.
At Paulding Exempted Village Schools, 82 students — about 6% of the population — reported no internet access at all. School board member Julie Arend believes that number underrepresented the true struggle.
"I would argue there are many more — my family included — who deal with unreliable internet," Arend says. "It's incredibly frustrating when your child can't complete a project, log into Google Docs, or even attend e-learning days because your Wi-Fi cut out."
During the pandemic, many schools pivoted to digital learning — a trend that hasn't gone away. From online testing and homework platforms to virtual tutoring and digital textbooks, education now assumes students can stay connected at home.
And in many districts, students are provided with laptops, but not the internet they need to use them. "We're getting kids halfway there," Taylor says. "They have the device, but if they live in a rural area without reliable internet, they're still at a disadvantage."
Today, some textbooks are even online. "Things have changed so much just since I graduated 16 years ago. Reliable internet is no longer a luxury — it's a necessity."
Paulding Putnam's fiber internet — with speeds up to 1 Gbps — will allow students to video conference with teachers, submit assignments instantly, participate in digital classrooms, and even explore post-secondary opportunities from their homes.
"It only takes one missed assignment or day of class to fall behind," Arend adds. "This new reliable service will help prevent that from happening."
Taylor sums it up simply: "This will be a very good thing for all our students and families in the area."
Arend agrees — both professionally and personally. "It's exciting to see how PP is always looking to expand and enhance Paulding County and the surrounding areas. I'm thankful Paulding Putnam is investing in our communities!"
