News
More than $81 million in Indiana broadband funding will be matched by over $135 million from 17 telecom providers and utility cooperatives.
By: Brad Randall, Broadband Communities
Thousands of locations across dozens of counties will benefit from the latest public and private investments announced in Indiana, which will include more than $216 million for broadband infrastructure in the state.
The funding was announced earlier this month by Indiana Governor Eric J. Holcomb as Indiana announced the final round recipients of the state’s Next Level Connections Broadband Grant Program.
Holcomb said the program has been a model for other states seeking to address technology gaps across the country.
“The first-of-its-kind broadband grant program has connected thousands of Hoosiers in nearly every corner of the state,” according to a June release from the governor’s office. “The program ensures that every resident has access to information which unlocks the door to opportunity and leads to a brighter better-connected future.”
In total, the final round of Next Level Connections Broadband Grant Program funding will assist 50 broadband projects across 54 counties, eventually providing connectivity to over 34,000 locations, according to the release from Holcomb’s office.
The largest grants awarded were two $5 million grants to Mercury Broadband and Surf Air Wireless. Both grants, which will serve projects in Hamilton, Madison, Allen, DeKalb, LaGrange, and Noble counties, were matched by private investments of $5 million or more.
The Next Level Connections Broadband Grant Program, administered by the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA), is part of Holcomb’s $1 billion Next Level Connections infrastructure improvement agenda. It focuses on rural broadband expansion, along with rail, highway, and airport renovation projects, according to the announcement from Holcomb’s office.
A full list of companies and organizations to be awarded funds in the final round of Indiana’s Next Level Connections Broadband Grant Program has been made available online.
The list includes companies like AT&T, Comcast, Brightspeed, Spectrum Mid-America, and Mainstream Fiber.
The state has also published a map, showing where the grant funds will be directed across the state.
Comments from OCRA Executive Director Duke Bennett were included in the governor’s release.
Bennett said it’s an exciting time for broadband expansion in Indiana.
“These projects will help bridge the digital divide many Hoosiers experience and enhance the overall quality of life for our rural communities,” Bennett said.
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