Crouch: Indiana receives $29M in federal funding for rural broadband

STATEHOUSE (Aug. 31, 2018) – Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch announced that the Federal Communications Commission has awarded more than $29M in funding over the next 10 years to increase broadband speeds for 24,530 locations throughout the state.

“Unserved and underserved rural areas in our state need high-speed, reliable Internet in order to keep Indiana’s economy thriving,” Crouch said. “Collaboration between federal, state and local entities will bring Indiana communities to the Next Level and I anticipate we will be working on building upon this progress.”

Crouch said that the FCC is looking to close the digital divide between rural and urban America and has awarded almost $1.5B to unserved areas in 45 states. Fifty-three percent of the homes and businesses selected for coverage will receive download speeds of at least 100 megabits per second.

“By helping over 24,000 locations throughout our state receive high-speed broadband access, communities will have more opportunities to grow and thrive,” said Scott Rudd, Director of Broadband Opportunities.

Below is a list of providers who received funding in the state:

• Benton Ridge Telephone Company – $14,883,684.70 for 11,537 locations;
• Mercury Wireless – $1,400,844,80 for 7,371 locations;
• Orange County REMC – $10,200,496.30 for 4,046 locations;
• Perry-Spencer Rural Telephone – $1,182,425.70 for 359 locations;
• RTC Communications Corp. – $1,326,394 for 1,203 locations;
• Wisper ISP, Inc. – $123,648 for 14 locations.

For more information visit: https://www.fcc.gov/document/connect-america-auction-expand-broadband-713176-rural-locations