{"id":47542,"date":"2025-04-22T07:35:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-22T11:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.westbendnews.net\/autonews\/?p=47542"},"modified":"2025-04-21T11:59:36","modified_gmt":"2025-04-21T15:59:36","slug":"paulding-putnam-internet-updates-construction-begins-rep-klopfenstein-attends-meeting-community-feedback-requested","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.westbendnews.net\/autonews\/paulding-putnam-internet-updates-construction-begins-rep-klopfenstein-attends-meeting-community-feedback-requested\/","title":{"rendered":"Paulding Putnam internet updates: construction begins, Rep. Klopfenstein attends meeting, & community feedback requested"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
Paulding Putnam\u2019s full staff and contractors ITG Communications and NRTC attend a fiber internet launch meeting at the co-op\u2019s headquarters on April 14. (Field) Contractor ITG Communications hang the first mile of mainline fiber cable for Paulding Putnam Electric Cooperative in Haviland, Ohio, on April 15, 2025.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Paulding Putnam Electric Cooperative (PPEC) is officially launching the construction phase of its high-speed, reliable fiber internet project, a transformative step toward bridging the digital divide for members and businesses across Northwest Ohio and Northeast Indiana. By fall 2025, the first customer should have fiber internet service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mainline fiber construction began in the Latty substation area \u2013 specifically in Haviland \u2013 on April 15. PPEC\u2019s contractor, ITG Communications, is hanging mainline fiber. Construction will continue in the Roselm substation area by June 2025. Service is not being installed at this time, but an interest form will be available soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This marks a historic milestone as the co-op expands its mission from delivering reliable electric service to also providing fast, affordable, and dependable internet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Monday, April 14, PPEC also held an employee and contractor meeting to discuss project expectations. State Representative and PPEC member Roy Klopfenstein attended the meeting to provide a legislative update and express his support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Community-Focused Approach to Connectivity<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PPEC\u2019s fiber internet service arm is designed with the same member-first values that have defined the co-op\u2019s electric operations. With many rural homes and businesses still lacking access to quality internet, this project is focused on delivering meaningful, lasting infrastructure improvements where they\u2019re needed most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe electric side will benefit as well,\u201d said Nick Eltzroth, PPEC Chief Operating Officer. \u201cAll members will see the benefit of connecting our substations using fiber technology. It will allow PPEC to detect and restore power outages more quickly with improved communication between equipment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The cooperative is also partnering with counties and villages throughout Ohio and Indiana to identify areas of need and ensure that expansion efforts align with local priorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hiring for Broadband Talent<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To support the growing demands of this service, PPEC is hiring for two key positions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Broadband Technician<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 IT & Broadband Systems Manager<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those interested in applying can visit ppec.coop\/employment for full job descriptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s Next & How Members Can Get Involved<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the coming months, PPEC will launch an online form so members can express interest in receiving service once internet becomes available in their area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Members are also encouraged to help advocate for the project by submitting a short video explaining how reliable, high-speed internet would positively impact their lives or why it\u2019s needed in their community. These stories may be used in promotional efforts to illustrate the real-world impact of this project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Feedback and video submissions can be emailed to fiber@ppec.coop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe really do want to hear from you,\u201d says CEO Randy Price. \u201cThe Paulding Putnam board and staff are driven to be member and community focused, using every experience to learn, improve what we do for you, and invest in your future. We look forward to serving in this new capacity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stay Updated: Attend Member Appreciation Day July 12<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PPEC will share progress updates on its website and social media channels. Additional information will be provided at the co-op\u2019s Member Appreciation Day on Saturday, July 12, 2025, at the co-op headquarters (401 McDonald Pike, Paulding, OH).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the latest news and construction timelines, visit www.ppec.coop\/fiberupdates. Members with questions can call the co-op at 800-686-2357.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Paulding Putnam Electric Cooperative (PPEC) is officially launching the construction phase of its high-speed, reliable fiber internet project, a transformative<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":47544,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"colormag_page_container_layout":"default_layout","colormag_page_sidebar_layout":"default_layout","nf_dc_page":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2230,6],"tags":[25388,25386,25385,17850],"class_list":["post-47542","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-community","category-community","tag-itg-communications","tag-oh-rep-klopfenstein","tag-paulding-putnam-internet","tag-randy-price"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.westbendnews.net\/autonews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Stringing-fiber-ITG-Comms-truck-looking-down-road.jpg?fit=666%2C499&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2YQd9-cmO","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-04 03:27:35","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.westbendnews.net\/autonews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47542","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.westbendnews.net\/autonews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.westbendnews.net\/autonews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.westbendnews.net\/autonews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.westbendnews.net\/autonews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47542"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.westbendnews.net\/autonews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47542\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47545,"href":"https:\/\/www.westbendnews.net\/autonews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47542\/revisions\/47545"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.westbendnews.net\/autonews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47544"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.westbendnews.net\/autonews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47542"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.westbendnews.net\/autonews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47542"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.westbendnews.net\/autonews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47542"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}