Indiana’s share of federal money to boost broadband access in underserved areas in the state is almost $870 million. The funding – through the Broadband Equity, Adoption and Deployment (BEAD) program – is expected by mid- to late 2024. Purdue University’s Broadband Team is working to make sure the money ends up where it’s needed most.
Roberto Gallardo, the university’s vice president for engagement and director of its Center for Regional Development, said a Federal Communications Commission map will pinpoint the spots where broadband help is needed – and they aren’t just rural areas.
“I’ve known anecdotally from urban counties that they still have pockets out of their incorporated cities that have issues with connectivity,” he said.
To make the map as accurate as possible, he said, university students and alumni team members will assist by letting people know how to report their internet service information. The group will also conduct presentations, talk with community leaders and other stakeholders, and post information on social media about the program.
Gallardo said the Purdue team won’t be visiting anyone’s home to conduct speed tests or validate their address or service on the FCC map, but they can point them to the resources to do their own test and explain why it’s important.
“We also do not control the outcome of what happens to that speed test once it’s completed,” he said. “We are increasing awareness of existing resources and spreading the word through taking advantage of the trust that we have across the Indiana community.”
According to ConnectingIndiana.com, Carroll, Crawford, Dubois, Franklin and Ripley counties have the highest percentage of unserved and underserved broadband locations in the state.
Since February, Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch has certified 11 counties as “broadband ready.” This tells the telecommunication industry that a community has taken steps to reduce barriers to broadband infrastructure investment.
1 comment
It costs about $100k per mile to run fiber internet. 8700 miles of fiber over the entire state will barely be noticeable. To put in into comparison, AT&T and Verizon combined have over 2,200,000 miles of fiber between them and that is just two companies.
Rural areas often have 1 house per country mile, and the urban areas that the article discusses are primarily people who could not pay their own bill without government subsidies. If either of those areas were actually viable, private companies would have already ran the fiber to get that coverage.
This is a boondoggle waste of money, plain and simple. Abolish the Federal grant system.