New federal funding will improve Ohio broadband. TOT applauded the recent announcement of $795 million in federal grants and loans for increased broadband deployment, including a significant award in Ohio. [Ohio Tech Bits Blog]

More broadband:
Ohio Middle Mile Consortium partner awarded $30 million for broadband stimulus grant. [Ohio Middle Mile Consortium]
Sen. Brown Announces $30 Million to Expand Broadband Infrastructure in Ohio. [Senator Sherrod Brown]
Firm to boost broadband access around Dayton. [Dayton Business Journal]

AT&T picks Akron for $120 million high-tech center. AT&T has chosen Akron to house its ninth mobility center in the country — an investment of $120 million in high-tech equipment. [Akron Beacon Journal]

Expanding the Role of IT: Compellent Technologies. [IT Martini]

Gaps Persist in Evaluation Systems for E-Government Initiatives. [Government Technology]

What’s Behind Twitter’s 800 Million Daily Searches? Twitter’s executives have been touting the number of searches done in their system — a whopping 800 million every day. But what does this figure actually mean? [Digits (Wall Street Journal)]

Technology for Ohio’s Tomorrow (TOT) applauded the recent announcement of $795 million in federal grants and loans for increased broadband deployment, including a significant award in Ohio. The funding, announced last week by President Barack Obama, will finance 66 projects across the country aimed at improving high speed Internet access.

Here in Ohio, ComNet, Inc. received a $30 million grant for an Ohio Middle Mile Consortium (OMMC) project. The project will provide connectivity to ComNet, Inc.’s high capacity fiber network for as many as 880 community anchor institutions, including K-12, state and local government, public safety, libraries and community support organization facilities.

OMMC partners Com Net, Inc., Horizon Telcom, OneCommunity and OARnet formed a public-private partnership to create a comprehensive statewide plan to expand broadband infrastructure to the underserved and unserved areas of the state. Other projects submitted by OMMC are pending. Once completed, the Ohio Middle Mile Consortium will benefit over 2 million Buckeyes, boosting 165,000 businesses and 3,000 other community institutions.

TOT Executive Director Scott Schweitzer applauded the investment.

“I applaud the OMMC for its vision in developing a comprehensive broadband plan for Ohio and its competitive proposals,” said Schweitzer. “Broadband expansion will continue to be a catalyst for moving Ohio forward, creating 21st century jobs and opportunities across the state.”

Broadband use grows in Ohio. Connect Ohio said this week that the number of households in the state with computers rose 4 percent over last year and 9 percent compared to 2008. Broadband use grew even faster– up 6.5 percent over last year and 20 percent compared to 2008. [The Columbus Dispatch, ConnectOhio]

Indians use broadband to reach fans. The Cleveland Indians are using a new section of seats with Wi-Fi connections to reach out to fans who want to blog, Facebook and Tweet during games this season at Progressive Field. [(OH) Broadband in the News]

IT Martini Hour 11 Wrap-Up + PICS. [IT Martini]

Special Report: The end of Apple’s iPod era. After years of serving as Apple’s main source of revenue, the iPod’s influence on the company’s financial health has diminished to the point of being effectively irrelevant as a revenue driver, marking an end to the ‘iPod era.’ [AppleInsider]

Apple Speaks on the Matter of the ‘Death Grip’. [Gadgetwise (NY Times Blog)]

Letter from Apple Regarding iPhone 4. [Apple]

Facebook Changes App Permissions, But Critics Say It’s Not Enough. [Digits (Wall Street Journal)]

CallCopy chief wins entrepreneur award. Raymond Bohac, the CEO of CallCopy, is among the winners of Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Awards for south central Ohio and Kentucky. [Business First of Columbus via TechLife Columbus]

Have a happy and fun Fourth of July!

From The Daily Reporter, more on the telecom reform and broadband investment report released last week.

A new report confirms that broadband technology provides an economic boost to Ohio, creating 15,000 to 30,000 jobs annually.

Approximately half of all companies in Ohio receive $1.50 of every $10 in revenue from online transactions, according to “The Evolution of Telecom and the Ohio Template for Reform: 2009,” which was released last week.

“This study shows that 59 percent of all businesses use broadband as part of their business model. They use it for all kinds of purposes, including online shipment tracking, selling or accepting orders, online training, or contract bidding,” said Andrew Doehrel, president and chief executive officer of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce. “Broadband has become a way of life for Ohio businesses.”

Ohio in recent years has been working toward expanding broadband use.

Two years ago the state launched a public-private partnership that created the nonprofit Connect Ohio Initiatives LLC to help expand broadband Internet access throughout the state, especially in rural and outlying regions.

…

Despite gains made in the effort throughout the state, the report recommends that Ohio should continue to take further action and shouldn’t wait for the federal government to help.

“The state must not wait for a federal solution; instead, it should take forceful action now and begin reaping significant benefits for Buckeyes,” the report noted.

TOT previews telecom reform and investment study. TOT Executive Director Sarah Briggs moderated a preview of a study of Ohio’s telecom rules and broadband investment in Cleveland on Monday. The study will be released to the public in the coming weeks. [Ohio Tech Bits Blog]

Ohio State researchers invent first MRI treadmill. A team of Ohio State researchers have created an MRI-compatible hydraulic treadmill. [The Lantern via TechLife Columbus]

5 ways to share images on Twitter. [Mashable.com via @PerryBelcher]

Libraries offering new technology to patrons. Libraries are adding “new media on top of the old” — offering new tech gadgets and formats for their patrons. [Ohio Tech Bits Blog]

Next Week: So Short, Yet So Long. [IT Martini]

NorTech: Jobs in high-tech industries increasing in Ohio. A report from NorTech shows gains in high tech employment in northeast and all of Ohio in 2008. [Ohio Tech Bits Blog]

Market Diversification Workshop Helps Manufacturers Enter New Marketplace. Advance Northeast Ohio partner MAGNET will hold a Market Diversification Workshop in Independence at the Doubletree Hotel Cleveland on June 11. [Advance Northeast Ohio and MAGNET]

TechLife profile of Ron Morgan, Franklin University’s Dean of Academic Technology & Innovation. [TechLife Columbus]

Broadband around the world. For broadband penetration, the United States is in the middle of the pack, slightly above average. [NY Times Tech Blog]

Ohio Offers Cutting-Edge Bioscience Industry. [Ohio Business Development Coalition Blog]

TOT Executive Director Sarah Briggs moderated a preview of a study of Ohio’s telecom rules and broadband investment in Cleveland on Monday.  The study was done by Case Western Reserve University Weatherhead School of Management economics professor Jack Kleinhenz and the Digital Policy Institute at Ball State University.

Kleinhenz, joined by Steve Jones of Ball State, previewed the study before an audience of state and local officials and technology experts at the City Club of Cleveland.

Steve Jones (left), of the Digital Policy Institute at Ball State University, and Jack Kleinhenz, of Case Western Reserve University's Weatherhead School of Management

Among the study’s findings: despite 90% of homes in Ohio having access, only 55% subscribe to broadband.  Also, 32% of Ohio’s homes will have wireless broadband by the end of 2012.

The study reports that Ohio outranks the national average in the following: number of per capita high speed lines, business lines as a percentage of high speed lines and the number of providers of high speed lines. The report also finds that between 15,000 to 30,000 jobs in Ohio are supported or created annually across all industries by investment in broadband.

Additionally, it is in the public’s best interest to have a level playing field among competitors in order to encourage additional investment in broadband, according to the study. Recommendations include reforming antiquated rules governing legacy phone companies to reflect competition in the marketplace.

The study will be released to the public in the coming weeks.