Indiana Broadband May Newsletter

State of Indiana sent this bulletin at 05/19/2022 10:00 AM EDT

FROM THE DESK OF...

JODI GOLDEN

State Infrastructure Administrator
Office of Management & Budget

Greetings!

I hope everyone is enjoying May in Indiana! It has been a very busy spring for all of us in the broadband world! I’m excited and honored to share that I have accepted a new position within the Holcomb-Crouch administration as the State Infrastructure Administrator. This position is tasked with identifying, analyzing and coordinating the funding opportunities involved with the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). Included in this position is also Chief Broadband Officer.

Connecting every Hoosier has been a priority for Governor Holcomb and Lt. Governor Crouch since taking office, and they remain committed to expanding broadband opportunities throughout our state. I am fortunate to have been able to assist in this endeavor through the continued development and deployment of our Next Level Connections Broadband programs. I am delighted to continue serving in this capacity, while also working toward long-term statewide infrastructure improvements.

Even more exciting was the Next Level Connections Broadband Grant Program (NLC) and Indiana Connectivity Program awards announcements in April. Close to $189 million is being awarded to internet service providers to help connect over 52,000 households and businesses through the NLC program and an additional $654,000 through the newly created Indiana Connectivity Program. Combine this with the private and local investments and Indiana will have experienced over $586 million in broadband investment. This is amazing news, but the state recognizes it still has Hoosiers to connect. For more information on any of our broadband programs, please visit in.gov/indianabroadband or in.gov/ocra/nlc.

I look forward to continuing to work with our partners, stakeholders and Hoosiers across the state on all of our critical broadband initiatives!

Jodi Golden

State Infrastructure Administrator

Office of Management & Budget

NEXT LEVEL CONNECTIONS ROUND 3 AWARDS ANNOUNCED

Next Level Connections Round 3 awarded $189 million to fund 154 broadband projects, expanding broadband access to 52,900 homes and businesses.

In total, rounds 1, 2 and 3 of the program have awarded $268 million across 83 counties to provide broadband access to more than 74,800 homes and commercial locations. To learn more, click here.

INDIANA CONNECTIVITY PROGRAM ROUND 1 AWARDS ANNOUNCED

The Indiana Connectivity Program recently awarded $654,678 to expand broadband access to 253 addresses across 40 Indiana counties.

To learn more about the Indiana Connectivity Program, click here.

2022 BROADBAND COMMUNITIES SUMMIT

Recently, the Indiana Broadband Office’s Project Manager, Earnie Holtrey, was able to attend the 2022 Broadband Communities Summit in Houston, Texas.

This summit allowed broadband leaders to learn about the many aspects that go into providing accessible broadband for their communities. Individuals at the summit were able to attend a variety of workshops and sessions geared towards the betterment of broadband in their communities.

From these sessions and workshops, stakeholders have the opportunity to learn about grant writing, broadband businesses, infrastructure, speak with other broadband leaders and gain perspective on the many broadband challenges all over the United States.

SWITZERLAND COUNTY BROADBAND CHAMPION

Shout out to Indiana's Broadband Champions!

This exciting initiative focuses on the game changers in communities across Indiana that work hard through collaboration, planning and relationship-building to bring broadband to their area.

This month's Broadband Champion is Sarah Brichto, Broadband Taskforce co-chair in Switzerland County. Watch Sarah by clicking here.

Be on the lookout for the next Broadband Champion to be released next month! Is there someone who should be considered for an upcoming video? Email INbroadband@lg.in.gov to nominate a community's Broadband Champion!

ATTENTION: PROVIDERS

Calling all broadband providers with a low cost plan. The Indiana Broadband Office wants to feature these providers!

IBO currently features the following Provider Affordability Plans on the IBO website:

AT&T
Charter/Spectrum
Comcast

Ready to be featured on the website? Send information to INbroadband@lg.in.gov.

THE WIFI PROJECT

Hey, Hoosiers! Need connectivity?

The Indiana Broadband Office and the Office of Community & Rural Affairs recently launched a statewide campaign – The WiFi Project – to promote the Indiana Connectivity Program to residents across the state. The goal of this initiative is to reach rural Indiana residents who lack broadband access in their homes and businesses.

Please follow and share the WiFi Project on Facebook!

BROADBAND READY COMMUNITIES

The Broadband Ready Communities Program is a designation signaling that community leadership is committed to the development of reliable and affordable internet.

To learn more about being a Broadband Ready Community, click here.

Stay tuned as IBO continues to work with communities across the state to become Broadband Ready! There are roughly 35 counties to go. Please note, cities and towns may apply for the designation as well.

Congratulations to the Town of Etna Green!

The Town of Etna Green was designated as Broadband Ready in the summer of 2021. This BBRC designation led to 100% connectivity within the town.

"As local leaders we knew the importance of Broadband to attract and retain residents and businesses. We received our BBRC in July of 2021 and within a few weeks were contacted by Surf Broadband Solutions. This spring the project was completed so we now have 100% fiberoptic broadband in our small community of Etna Green." --Susan Klinefelter, Etna Green Town Council

Initially, Surf Broadband began a project to connect the communities of Plymouth, Bourbon and Bremen with a regional dark fiber ring that includes the Data Realty and Union Station regional data centers. In addition to laying out the fiber backbone to connect the communities, the company set out to bring super-fast, reliable fiber internet to all residents.

As the project progressed, the company heard from residents of Etna Green who requested that Etna Green be included into the build plan because many had been struggling with poor internet connectivity throughout the pandemic. The project aligned with Surf’s mission to connect and transform underserved communities across the region. The company has been actively connecting residents to fiber internet since finishing construction in late January 2022.

“The pandemic exposed the unserved and underserved in our community. We believe that our investment in Etna Green will be a catalyst to community transformation and an engine for future economic development." --Surf CEO Gene Crusie

Congratulations to our most recent Broadband Ready Communities!

Jefferson County

"The Jefferson County Commissioners, Bobby Little, David Bramer and Ron Lee, are excited about becoming a Broadband Ready Community. We are ready and willing to work, prepare, and develop a strategy to include our whole county for broadband service and to prepare our future for this technological step forward for the community. The county has an established Broadband Taskforce that is working collectively within the county and with the community leaders. Southeastern Indiana Regional Planning Commission's Broadband Fellow, Reneisha Rudder, is working alongside Jefferson County in our goal of creating affordable and reliable service options for the entire county.” --Ron Lee, President of Jefferson County Board of Commissioners

Union County

“The Union County Commissioners are pleased to announce that we are a Certified Broadband Ready Community. A 21st century economy demands that this aspect of infrastructure be firmly in place in order to promote development and to aid quality of place. In short, it says that Union County is open for business, and prepares us to compete on a level playing field. Once Charter Communications completes their work, Union County will have 90% broadband coverage. That in conjunction with our low crime rate, highly rank school system and low county taxes makes Union County a very attractive community to call home.” --Tim Williams, President of the Union County Board of Commissioners

IBO wants to celebrate Hoosier communities' Broadband Ready Community Anniversaries! Reach out to IBO at INbroadband@lg.in.gov to begin planning an anniversary celebration with IBO.

Check out the map below to see the progress that has been made across the State.

TRAVELS OF LT. GOV. SUZANNE CROUCH

Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch is continuing to meet Hoosiers from different industries and communities in 2022. Her travels have brought many opportunities to hear local issues and observe programs that are building a better Indiana. She is looking forward to many more visits this spring and summer.

Miami Cass REMC – Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch announces more than 250 Hoosier homeowners and businesses will be connected through the first round of the Indiana Connectivity Program on Thursday, April 28, 2022, at Miami-Cass REMC in Peru. Crouch said Hoosiers are still encouraged to submit their addresses if the location currently lacks broadband service or have actual broadband speeds of less than 25/3Mbps.

Avon Chamber – Lt. Gov. Crouch meets with the Avon Chamber of Commerce and its executive director, Thomas Downard on Tuesday, April 26, 2022, at American Legion Post 145. She spoke to chamber members about recent announcements regarding state initiatives that are having an impact on the town and Hendricks County. The lieutenant governor also recently spoke at a Danville Rotary luncheon and is scheduled to meet with the Brownsburg Chamber in June.

South Shore Tourism – The lieutenant governor celebrates Visit Indiana Week with the South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority on Wednesday, May 4, 2022, in Hammond. Visit Indiana Week took place May 1-7, in conjunction with National Travel and Tourism Week. The week-long event aims to educate the public about the importance and impact of travel and tourism.

Follow along with Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch as she continues her statewide travels.

DIGITAL DIVIDE INDEX

Purdue Center for Rural Development publishes a yearly Digital Divide Index, which includes an interactive map that provides a Digital Divide Score for areas across the nation.

The DDI consists of two components. The first is the infrastructure/adoption component (INFA) that includes percent of 2020 population not using the internet at 100/20 Mbps (NBBND), average download (DNS) and upload (UPS) speeds, percent of homes without internet access or not subscribing (NIA), and percent of homes with no computing devices (NCD).

The second component is the socioeconomic (SE) component that includes the percent of the population age 65 and over (AGE65), percentage 25 and over with less than a high school degree (LTHS), individual poverty rate (POV), percent of the noninstitutionalized civilian population with any disability (DIS), and a brand new digital inequality or internet income ratio measure (IIR).

To learn more or check out your location on the map, click here.

WEBSITE UPDATE!

Have you seen the IBO website recently? The IBO team has been working hard to keep it up to date and accurate on all things Broadband! To check it out, click here.

We want to hear from you! Please send broadband-related news regarding your community or organization to the Indiana Broadband Office at INbroadband@lg.in.gov, and we'll share on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or in this newsletter!

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