Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch and the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs announced the fourth round of the Indiana Connectivity Program awarded $935,174 to expand broadband access to 256 addresses across 31 counties.
44 of those addresses and $211, 200 of the grant funding was awarded to Miami-Cass REMC.
The program aims to help more Hoosier residents and business owners obtain access to high-speed, quality broadband.
The Indiana Connectivity Program acts as a tool to connect residents and businesses that lack internet service with internet service providers and assist in the expense of extending broadband to unserved and underserved locations.
“The Indiana Connectivity Program has now helped expand broadband access to 764 families and businesses,” said Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch. “This program has impacted each of these homeowners or business owners’ daily lives by providing resources only available through reliable internet.”
Of the 256 addresses funded, 237 are households and 19 are businesses. Internet providers carrying out the projects are matching over $2.4 million for a total investment of more than $3.4 million. To find a list of providers granted funding, visit in.gov/ocra/broadband/icp.
“Reliable internet access is a necessity in today's world and provides unlimited resources for both businesses and families,” said OCRA Executive Director Denny Spinner. “Hoosiers lacking reliable broadband should apply for the Indiana Connectivity Program and encourage their neighbors to do the same. Through the program, geographic areas with multiple applicants have experienced greater success in gaining internet service."
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.
