State awards $81M through Broadband Grant Program
Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now
Gov. Eric Holcomb’s office announced Thursday that it has awarded an additional $81.5 million in the final round of the Next Level Connections Broadband Grant Program.
The funding will provide broadband infrastructure to more than 34,000 homes and businesses in 54 counties throughout the state.
The program was created in 2018 with the goal of providing more Hoosiers access to high-speed broadband internet service, particularly in rural areas.
Broadband service providers and utility cooperatives can apply for up to $5 million to expand service into unserved areas, as long as they provide a 20% match. As part of the fourth and final round, 17 providers contributed more than $135 million in matching funds.
“This is an exciting investment for broadband expansion across Indiana,” said Duke Bennett, executive director of the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs, which oversees the program. “These projects will help bridge the digital divide many Hoosiers experience and enhance the overall quality of life for our rural communities.”
Click here to view a map of areas served by the program since its inception.
To date, the Broadband Grant Program has awarded $328 million to connect more than 102,000 homes and commercial locations to broadband infrastructure in 88 counties. That has leveraged more than $426 million in private and local investment, according to the governor’s office.
“The first-of-its-kind broadband grant program has connected thousands of Hoosiers in nearly every corner of the state,” Holcomb said in a news release. “It has been a model program that other states have tried to replicate to solve the inequitable technology gap that exists across the country. The program ensures that every resident has access to information which unlocks the door to opportunity and leads to a brighter better connected future.”