Continuing Broadband Expansion in Indiana

To provide more Hoosiers with internet access, the General Assembly continued to support broadband expansion this past session, including $250 million for the rural broadband fund and passing several measures that prioritized increasing broadband funding in order to reach those who are underserved.

House Enrolled Act 1449, which I co-authored, allows for allocating the Rural Broadband Fund to target projects based on a tiered priority. The tiers are broken down by need and service speeds.

  • First priority projects will expand broadband services to underserviced schools.
  • Second priority projects will expand broadband services to underserviced rural health clinics.
  • Third priority projects will expand broadband services to underserviced student residences.
  • Fourth priority projects will expand broadband services to underserviced rural areas with less than 25MB/s speeds.

In addition, my colleagues and I passed Senate Enrolled Act 377, which creates the Indiana Broadband Connectivity Program. This creates a broadband portal that will allow Hoosiers that have no or poor internet access to alert the Office of Community and Rural Affairs that they are in need of broadband. Submissions will also be made through the mail to account for households that have a poor or no internet connection. This will help the state identify the area with the greatest need for broadband access.

Senate Enrolled Act 352 and Senate Enrolled Act 359 will also increase broadband access for Hoosiers. SEA 359 requires the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) to create a corridor program to manage the location, installation and maintenance of communications infrastructure. SEA 352 deals with a number of administrative procedures, making the entire process easier for INDOT, the provider and those in the area being serviced. 

During the course of the COVID-19 pandemic we've seen just how vital reliable internet access is to the daily lives of Hoosiers. A decade of conservative leadership has put Indiana in a fortunate financial situation that allows for these funding increases, propelling Indiana toward its goal of providing broadband access to all Hoosiers.