Henry County is getting more than $370,000 in help from the state to push high-speed internet out to its most rural residents.
The state grant money is being matched locally by New Lisbon Broadband and Communications (NLBC) and a partnership between Henry County REMC and NineStar Connect to help different parts of this area.
“Having access to fast and reliable broadband is more important than ever,” State Rep. Tom Saunders (R-Lewisville) said Thursday. “Many young Hoosiers are working or learning remotely during this time, and require high-speed internet. These two grants will be essential to expanding internet access to unserved areas of Henry County.”
Governor Eric J. Holcomb announced the grant awards Thursday, identifying 50 broadband infrastructure expansion projects across the state getting a total of $51 million in grants as a part of the second round of the Next Level Connections Broadband Grant Program.
“Lt. Governor Crouch and I have been dedicated to improving internet access for years, and now COVID has only made the need for affordable, dependable broadband more apparent,” Gov. Holcomb said. “This latest round of grants will give more Hoosiers access to more affordable, quality internet regardless of where they live, work or go to school.”
Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch, along with the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA), administers and oversees the program.
The Next Level Connections (NLC) Broadband Grant Program allows broadband service providers and utility cooperatives to apply for up to $5 million to expand service to unserved areas if they provide at least a 20 percent match. Unserved areas are those without at least one telecommunication provider offering at least 10 mbps download and 1 mbps upload. Proposed projects must provide a minimum level of service at actual speeds of 25 mbps download and 3 mbps upload.
“In a time where Hoosiers are having to adjust their lifestyles due to COVID-19, it’s imperative that we connect as many Hoosiers as possible,” said Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch. “Governor Holcomb’s Next Level Connections initiative is a significant step toward bridging the digital divide and bringing greater opportunities for all Hoosiers.”
Henry County REMC partnered with NineStar Connect, to bring high-speed optical fiber to 70 unserved households and 10 unserved farms or other businesses west of New Castle.
The requested grant amount is $361,711, with a local match of more than $194,767, for a total project cost of $556,478. REMC and NineStar each provided 50 percent of the matching grant, according to REMC CEO Shannon Thom.
Thom said the project will run 12.43 miles of buried and aerial fiber to provide households in less-densely populated areas of the county with 1 gigabyte symmetrical (upload and download) broadband Internet.
A simple definition of “broadband” means the internet connection is always on.
“In partnering together, Henry County REMC and NineStar Connect focus on local economic development initiatives that will utilize the existing and prospective telecommunications and other infrastructure to ultimately foster a thriving community,” Thom said. “The NLC funding assistance will mitigate the financial barriers to the installation and expansion of broadband in the county’s unserved areas. Moreover, additional fiber infrastructure will enhance population and business retention and attraction efforts, health and education services, and agriculture innovation to ensure inclusive development for the entire county.”
A map of the REMC project shows buried fiber currently running along Ind. 3. The fiber currently extends about one mile west on West CR 400S and several miles along West CR 500S. The new fiber will run from 500S to the Town of Greensboro along South CR 375W.
An existing fiber line on South CR 400W will feed buried and aerial fiber along West CR 100S, South CR 275W, West CR 175S, West CR 250S and South CR 400W west of Westwood Lake. According to the REMC map, that line will end on the north side of Greensboro.
New buried fiber will connect this branch to mainly aerial fiber lines on the south side of Westwood Lake. This line will include about a half-mile along Greensboro Pike before it connects to Spiceland Road via South CR 225W.
Thom said expanding high-speed internet access to these low-density by fiber optic line will help Henry County share in the growth and future economic innovation taking place in Central Indiana.
The REMC/NineStar grant also referenced Henry County’s Comprehensive Plan.
“In order for the community to grow and thrive in the new economy, the county must follow the strategy put forward in the 2018 Henry County Economic Development Comprehensive Plan,” the grant stated. “This includes removing local barriers to the installation, expansion, and upgrading of broadband throughout the county. The plan stresses broadband’s importance as it must be leveraged to unlock the full employment and economic potential of the less densely populated or developed areas of the county.”
NLBC project
New Lisbon Broadband and Communications requested a grant for $10,649, with a local match of $16,657, for a total project cost of $27,306. The NLBC project should bring high-speed internet access to six unserved residences in the south-central Henry County.
NLBC CEO and General Manager John Greene said the grant project will provide fiber optic based service to six rural residences along CR 250E west of the airport that cannot get adequate broadband today. Additionally, the underserved homes along CR 300S between Dublin Pike and Big Blue River will be upgraded from copper to fiber.
Greene said construction on this project should begin sometime in mid-2021.
“These homes will have the fastest and most affordable Internet possible with our state of the art fiber technology, allowing them to partake in such services as tele-medicine, work at home and school at home with video conferencing and Internet based entertainment,” Greene said. “As everyone has seen with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, a good reliable broadband connection is necessary for these and other services to be possible. By providing them over a fiber optic connection, customers are insured of a reliable and future proof connection with nearly unlimited bandwidth available, unlike other technologies like wireless and copper cable.”
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