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Bascom Communications Announces Free Wifi in Downtown Tiffin

February 15, 2021

Bascom Communications has announced today that it has gone live with its downtown wifi service, Community Connect, which offers anyone in the downtown wireless access to the internet free of charge. With the cooperation of the City of Tiffin, Seneca County Board of Commissioners, and the East Green Foundation, Bascom Communications has been working for more than a year to bring the service online.

Users will find the service by bringing up the wifi settings on their phone and connecting to the “Community Connect” network. Users will see an ad or watch a short video for up to an hour of free internet connectivity with no limits on renewal. Additionally, there are paid options for faster speeds and up to a month’s worth of service, with details to be found when connecting. The service has security measures in place to help ensure secure browsing.

Access points are set up in Downtown Tiffin along South Washington Street from the bridge south to Madison Street and along Madison to Jefferson Street up to the East Green. As the service gains users, more access points are to be installed to grow the footprint.

“We’re very proud to be able to offer this service to Downtown Tiffin. As Bascom Communications continues to connect Seneca County, and we’re excited to be able to make this available to those visiting, living or working in Downtown Tiffin,” said Nate Brickner, General Manager/CEO of Bascom Communications.

Bascom Communications was formed in 1906 by a group of farmers wanting to bring voice services to rural Tiffin and Fostoria. In 1953, it became a co-operative company, and since 2000, the company has returned more than $5.2 million in capital credit refunds to its membership. In 2003, they began offering a fiber optic connection directly into members’ homes and businesses and in 2018, they became a certified gig-capable provider by NTCA. Bascom Communications was the recipient of the Outstanding Business Award at the TSEP 2019 Annual Meeting March 7, 2019.

“Bascom Communications was a great partner for the project, and we’re excited for this unique service they are offering for the residents of Tiffin and visitors to Seneca County,” said Seneca County Board of Commissioners President Mike Kerschner.

“With so much going on in the downtown, this is just another service that makes Tiffin and Seneca County a destination,” said Tiffin Mayor Aaron Montz. “Thank you to Bascom Communications for this investment.”

Advertisements for the service will be from local businesses, and limited-time discounts are available to members of the Seneca Regional Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Services or Tiffin-Seneca Economic Partnership. For more information, call (419) 937-2222.

Bascom Communications is a member of Seneca Regional Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Services.

About Downtown Tiffin

The revitalization of downtown Tiffin began in 2011, when a group of community members came together to form “Tiffin Tomorrow”, with the goal of promoting and encouraging economic development in Downtown Tiffin, and creating plans, programs, and actions to ensure long-term vitality and prosperity. In 2014, the City of Tiffin contracted with SIEDC to act as the downtown organization and “Tiffin Tomorrow” came under the SIEDC (now TSEP) umbrella as the “Downtown Development Board,” which serves as the governing board of the downtown organization. In 2015, Tiffin joined Heritage Ohio’s Main Street Program. For more information, click here.

About Heritage Ohio

Heritage Ohio promotes economic growth through the preservation and revitalization of downtowns and neighborhoods across Ohio. Heritage Ohio is the coordinating agency for the Ohio Main Street Program and is the designated statewide Ohio preservation partner with the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Through saving the places that matter we can all build a community and live better. Learn more about how to become involved by visiting www.heritageohio.org.

About Main Street America

Main Street America leads a movement committed to strengthening communities through preservation-based economic development in older and historic downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts. For more than 40 years, Main Street America has provided a practical, adaptable, and impactful framework for community-driven, comprehensive revitalization through the Main Street Approach™. Our network of more than 1,600 neighborhoods and communities, rural and urban, share both a commitment to place and to building stronger communities through preservation-based economic development. Since 1980, communities participating in the program have generated more than $101.58 billion in new public and private investment, generated 168,693 net new businesses and 746,897 net new jobs, rehabilitated more than 325,119 buildings, and levered over 33.7 million volunteer hours. Main Street America is a nonprofit subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. For more information, visit mainstreet.org.

 
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