(Indianapolis, IN) – SEI Communications is the recipient of $76,800 in grant funds from the state’s Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) to expand broadband access in Southeastern Indiana.
A total of $637,346 was awarded in the eight round of the Indiana Connectivity Program, with 175 addresses in 23 counties set to gain access to high-speed broadband.
Grant funds will help bring reliable broadband access to 16 addresses in SEI Communications’ service area, which includes parts of Dearborn, Ripley, Ohio, Switzerland, Jennings and Jefferson counties.
The Indiana Connectivity Program aims to connect residents and businesses lacking access to broadband internet service with service providers and assist in the expense of extending broadband to those locations.
Internet Service Providers review these locations and submit bids to the state on the cost of providing service to these locations. OCRA evaluates these bids and makes awards to the providers whose bid presents the lowest cost per Mbps to the state for extension of the service.
Owners of residential and business locations in unserved or underserved areas (access to actual speeds less than 100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload) can apply for consideration by entering their information into the Next Level Connections portal at in.gov/ocra/broadband to initiate their interest in receiving broadband internet service.
Submitting location information into the portal does not guarantee extension of service.
“As lieutenant governor, I remain committed to creating more opportunities for Hoosier families, regardless of their zip code,” said Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, Indiana’s Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development. “For rural areas, a vital pathway to opportunity today is having access to a fast, reliable internet connection. It is wonderful to see the collaboration between state government and the private sector to improve the quality of life for Hoosiers.”
Broadband providers must complete their projects within nine months of the contract date.
Visit in.gov/ocra/broadband/icp for more information.
