A longtime telecom association is becoming the Ohio Broadband & Technology Association as connectivity expands beyond traditional telephone networks
Columbus, Ohio, 4 September 2026 – The way people connect has changed dramatically. What once centered on telephone lines has grown into a much wider world of fiber networks, wireless services, broadband platforms, data centers, and digital technologies. Ohio’s longtime telecommunications association is changing with it.
The Ohio Telecom Association has announced that it is becoming the Ohio Broadband & Technology Association, or OBTA. The new name reflects the association’s broader membership and its growing focus on broadband connectivity across the state.
The organization has a long history. Founded in 1895 as the Ohio Telephone Association, it was created when the telephone industry itself was still taking shape. Over the years, the association changed its name as communications technology evolved. The latest rebrand continues that story, recognizing how central broadband has become to modern communication.
Today, OBTA represents 42 telecommunications providers, two wireless providers, and more than 100 associate companies that supply products and services to the industry. Together, these members employ more than 16,000 people across Ohio.
The scale of broadband investment is also significant. According to the association, its member companies have invested more than $1 billion annually over the past decade to develop networks and increase their speed and capacity. Ohio is also investing in broadband infrastructure, including a $20 million middle mile fiber project along the U.S. Route 30 corridor across 15 counties.
What makes the name change interesting is that it reflects a larger transformation happening across the connectivity industry. Broadband is no longer simply about getting online. It supports businesses, schools, healthcare, communities, cloud services, and an increasingly connected digital economy.
With its new identity, OBTA is positioning itself around that broader reality. The association’s evolution shows that as technology changes, the organizations supporting the industry must change with it.
