(A) To successfully challenge an application, a challenging provider shall provide sufficient evidence to the development services agency demonstrating that all or part of a project under the application is ineligible for a grant. The challenge shall, at minimum, include the following information:

Terms Used In Ohio Code 122.4031

  • development services agency: means the department of development and the "director of development services" means the director of development. See Ohio Code 122.01
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.

(1) Sufficient evidence disputing the notarized letter of intent submitted with the application that the eligible project contains unserved or tier one areas;

(2) Sufficient evidence attesting to the challenging provider’s existing or planned offering of tier two broadband service to all or part of the eligible project, which evidence shall include the following:

(a) With regard to existing tier two broadband service, a signed, notarized statement submitted by the challenging provider that sufficiently identifies the part of the eligible project to which the challenging provider offers broadband service;

(b) With regard to the planned provision of tier two broadband service by a challenging provider as described in division (B) of section 122.4016 of the Revised Code, both of the following:

(i) A signed, notarized statement submitted by the challenging provider that sufficiently identifies the part of the eligible project to which the challenging provider will offer broadband service;

(ii) A summary of the construction efforts that includes the dates when tier two broadband construction is expected to be completed and when tier two broadband service will first be offered to the part of the eligible project being challenged.

(B) To demonstrate that all or part of a project under the application is ineligible for a grant, a challenging provider may present shapefile data, residential addresses, maps, or similar geographic details. Census block or census tract level data shall not be acceptable as evidence of ineligibility of all or part of a project.

Last updated June 9, 2021 at 12:27 PM