Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch and the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs today announced more Hoosiers will gain access to high-speed broadband as a result of $842,865 awarded in the fifth round of the Indiana Connectivity Program.
ICP helps Hoosier residents and business owners, often in rural areas, obtain access to reliable broadband by assisting internet providers with the expense of extending its services to underserved locations of Indiana.
Of the 216 addresses funded in ICP’s round five, 206 are households and 10 are businesses. Internet providers carrying out the projects are matching over $1.4 million for a total investment of more than $2.2 million.
$244, 800 in grant money goes to Miami-Cass REMC to benefit 51 addresses.
“The Indiana Connectivity Program continues to bridge the gap for Hoosiers lacking reliable broadband access,” said OCRA Executive Director Denny Spinner. “It is encouraging to see 216 more homes and businesses will soon have quality internet access, providing numerous resources they did not previously have.”
The program accepts addresses on a rolling basis. Hoosiers and business owners lacking internet connectivity can communicate their interest by entering their address and information into the Next Level Connections portal at in.gov/ocra/broadband. Submitting location information into the Next Level Connections Broadband portal does not guarantee extension of service.
Broadband providers must complete their projects within nine months of the contract date. For more information, visit in.gov/ocra/broadband/icp.
