BroadbandOhio is releasing a Request for Proposals for a U.S. Route 30 Middle-Mile Infrastructure Project to build a fiber network eastward from Mansfield to Canton and westward from Mansfield to Lima. Internet service providers use middle-mile infrastructure to connect people to the servers and websites they want to access.
The US Route 30 Corridor spans the entire width of Ohio, passing through 15 counties and running near many education centers, healthcare facilities, local government institutions, the city of Mansfield Industrial Park, and the 179th Cyberspace Wing.
"To deliver fast, reliable Internet, we first have to build the right infrastructure," said Lydia Mihalik, director of the Department of Development. "This $20 million investment in Route 30 is a critical step toward ensuring every community, from Lima to Canton, has access to the fast and reliable broadband Internet.
The US Route 30 Middle-Mile Infrastructure Project, funded as part of Ohio's biennial budget in House Bill 96 during the 136th General Assembly, commits $20 million to build out commercially available infrastructure to address the connectivity issues in that part of Ohio — extending from the state's eastern to western borders.
BroadbandOhio is expected to award and execute a contract with one respondent to build the infrastructure, which will connect a Point of Presence in Mansfield. A PoP allows numerous Internet service providers to connect to one another, and numerous PoPs exist across the country. The work will include the construction of all infrastructure, participation in partnerships with major anchor tenants, and redundancy facilitation.
Responses to this RFP may be submitted by any entity able to provide the services.
The inquiry period for interested applicants runs Dec. 1, 2025, through Jan. 5, 2026, and a non-mandatory virtual bidders conference will take place Dec. 8. Final proposals are due Feb. 2, 2026.
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