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Indiana to invest $100 million in broadband for rural communities  

About 93,000 Hoosiers are living in internet darkness, but Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb has proposed a $100 million grant program to expand broadband into rural communities.

The announcement came after new research from Purdue University shows that Indiana could gain $12 billion over 20 years in economic benefits from rural broadband.

Indiana Lieutenant Governor Suzanne Crouch describes rural Indiana as the next great economic development frontier.

“If they are connected and they have the ability to be able to develop the workforce and grow their population and improve the quality of life and the educational and health opportunities in their communities, they will grow as a result and it will increase economic opportunities,” she says.

The broadband investment is part of the Gov. Holcomb’s $1 billion Next Level Connections program.

Crouch spoke to Brownfield during the 2018 Broadband Summit by the Office of Community and Rural Affairs and the Indiana State Department of Agriculture.

The summit brought together stakeholders from state agencies, federal agencies, and broadband providers, and was announced in August when Scott Rudd, the state’s new director of broadband opportunities, began his role.

 Audio: Suzanne Crouch, Indiana Lt. Governor