Boone County moving forward with broadband upgrades
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The Boone County Board of Commissioners says progress is being made on broadband upgrades throughout the county. The project, which is part of Indiana’s Next Level Connections Grant Program, includes about $2 million in grants for upgrades to broadband infrastructure.
Boone County Commissioner Tom Santelli says the county’s next step is to focus on the Indiana Connectivity Program to connect unserved and underserved residents and businesses in Boone County.
The ICP program, launched in 2021, allows homeowners and business owners that lack internet or have unreliable service to apply for better connections.
“More than 11 internet service providers have the opportunity to review these locations and submit bids to the state on the cost of providing service to these registered areas,” Santelli said. “A key component of deploying this broadband infrastructure is simply by having potential users register their addresses.”
The board says it takes about six months to complete the process once an address is submitted. Providers have two months to respond and submit bids on locations they would like to extend service to. The Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs then evaluates the bids within 30 days and selects the providers whose bids present the lowest cost per Mbps to the state.
You can submit an address and connect to more information by clicking here.