NELSONVILLE, Ohio — Hundreds of Nelsonville TV Cable customers must soon pick a new internet and TV provider as the local company prepares to transition operations to Spectrum after 74 years in business.
The began March 2025 when documents were filed with the Ohio Department of Commerce authorizing the transfer of Nelsonville TV Cable’s video service to Spectrum. Spectrum is expected to have converted operations by the end of the summer, a representative told the Independent.
Nelsonville TV Cable was the last locally owned cable and internet services in the county; the only providers left are parts of large corporations.
Nelsonville TV Cable was founded in 1952 by Eugene “Joe” Edwards and has been run by his descendants. Joe Edwards died in May 2024.
“[Joe Edwards] served as president from the day he founded it until his death, more than half a century at the helm,” Hunter Edwards, a Nelsonville TV Cable technician told the Independent in an email. “My father, Jim Edwards, has handled day-to-day operations for the last 40 years.”
In addition to its cable and internet services, Nelsonville TV Cable was also known for broadcasting of local sporting events.
“The motivation was simple: We live here, and these are our neighbors,” Hunter Edwards told the Independent in an email. “Nelsonville and the surrounding villages aren’t big enough to attract regional coverage, so if we didn’t put the Buckeyes and local high-school games on the air, no one else would.”
The company also broadcast “parades, telethons, memorial services — anything that might matter to someone in the community,” Hunter Edwards said.
“There’s a special kind of joy in turning on the TV and seeing your kid in the marching band, your grandmother at a fundraiser, or your neighbor remembered properly,” he said. “It was never a profit center. It was the company being part of the community it served.”
Nelsonville TV Cable announced in February 2025 that it would suspend local broadcasts, prompting Facebook posts from local residents mourning the change. A representative for Spectrum told the Independent that it doesn’t have the ability to revive these broadcasts, but that the company will provide local support through its Spectrum Employee Community Grants program. From the program’s 2018 start through February 2023, the program provided over $1.5 million to nearly 400 nonprofits in 32 states, according to Spectrum’s website.
Providers available
At least five companies offer internet services to Nelsonville residents:
Three companies — HughesNet, Starlink and Viasat — offer satellite internet in the area. Because it does not rely on wired connections, satellite internet is often the only choice in remote areas without fiber or cable.
However, Sean O’Malley, a rural broadband consultant with Reid Consulting Group, previously told the Independent that satellite internet works best where there is an unobstructed view of the sky. Trees, hills and even rain can cause connection issues.
“[Southeast Ohio has] all these steep hollers, and a lot of the houses are built down in those valleys. If you’re down in the valley, like you’ve got hills that are blocking your view, even if you don’t have trees in your yard,” O’Malley said.
