MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD

In the 1930s, urban dwellers enjoyed the life-changing advantages of the miracle of electricity while rural areas were left behind. Without things like electric light, refrigeration, and the help of motors and electric tools, rural areas languished while cities enjoyed the benefits of progress. After President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal and the creation of the Rural Electrification Administration, groups of farmers across Ohio came together county by county to discuss plans to bring electricity for the first time to rural areas of central and southern Ohio. These utility pioneers realized that by working together, they could improve their communities, create new opportunities, and help bridge the great divide between urban progress and rural decline for the benefit of generations to come.

Today, we take electricity for granted. It’s difficult to imagine a world where those in cities and towns had such a huge lifestyle and economic advantage over their rural neighbors, just a few miles away. Or is it? Today, we have communities divided not by access to electricity versus living in darkness, but by access to high-speed internet. Only a few years ago, high-speed internet seemed like a necessity for those working in certain industries but a luxury for many of us. Then, the pandemic clearly exposed the digital divide. Those with broadband internet at home could work remotely and their children could participate in online school. They could easily participate in virtual medical appointments. Business owners could take advantage of the move toward online shopping, and families could stay connected even without travel, through video calls and online gatherings.

Many of the challenges of life in early 2020 are behind us, yet the world is permanently changed. The move toward online education, health care, retail, and even entertainment is here to stay, and it’s only gaining steam as time goes on. Like those utility pioneers who founded South Central Power Company to bring the benefits of electricity to their communities, I want to live in a world where my grandchildren have the same opportunities from technological advancements as their urban counterparts. I don’t want to see rural communities continue to suffer from brain drain, with our best and brightest young people forced to move away in order to find meaningful employment or pursue a quality education.

That’s why our trustees made the decision last year to enter the broadband business. We understand the difficulty of building and operating an entirely new digital network, but we also understand we are not fulfilling our mission if we ignore the digital divide while we are uniquely positioned — as an existing utility provider — to do something about it. This year we will begin construction on our new network, which will deliver fiber internet to the homes of some of our most rural consumers who today have no good options for high-speed internet. But as a cooperative, we also must consider the overall benefits of such a project for all of our members, some of whom already have high-speed internet, or feel they will never want or need it.

Perhaps one of the greatest, if least understood, benefits to a fiber network for an electric utility is the ability to make smart grid advancements that would otherwise be impossible. Connecting our electric network to a new fiber grid will bring benefits to all our members in the form of lower power costs, enhanced reliability and cybersecurity, and the ability to deliver new products, services, and rate structures that will serve the needs of many.

Next year, we will connect fiber to the homes of our first members in rural southern Ohio, but know that, even if our fiber network doesn’t reach you for a few years, we’ll all reap the benefits of this investment made possible by grant funding from BroadbandOhio for decades to come. Please understand, also, as we enter this new era of service, we haven’t forgotten why we are here. That’s to provide you with dependable service at the lowest possible cost. To that, we remain committed. Thank you for allowing us to serve you.

Ken Davis

Chairman, Board of Trustees