Wabash County took another step closer to eventually getting internet connectivity for all of its residents.
On Monday, the Wabash County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a letter of support to provide increased broadband coverage to the area. The letter goes to Indiana Lieutenant Suzanne Crouch and the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA).
The approval came as a 3-0 vote from Commissioners Jeff Dawes (Dist. 2), Barry Eppley (Dist.3), and Brian Haupert (Dist. 1). The letter is to help express an imperative need for immediacy for all county residents to have reliable internet access. State officials hope to have all Indiana residents living near high-speed internet connectivity within the next three to five years.
Local leadership wants that sooner than later.
The letter, as well as bids from potential broadband providers, go before OCRA officials for approval. As of Monday, Comcast, Mediacom, and Mercury Broadband are bidding to provide the next round of internet service to the area. This is the fourth phase of the Next Level Connections grant provided by the Indiana Connectivity Program seeking to connect residents and businesses with internet capability. Up for grabs is more than $80 million in grant money awarded for communities statewide.
Representatives from Comcast were in attendance for Monday’s commissioners meeting to outline their proposal to the state. Officials with Comcast said they hope to provide internet service to more than 1,700 residents within the Town of LaFontaine, Lagro, Roann, and outskirts of Wabash who are without broadband ability. Representatives from Mediacom and Mercury Broadband were not in attendance. Specifics of the amounts of the bids are provided directly to OCRA from broadband providers and were not released during the commissioner’s meeting. Currently, there are approximately 4,800 Wabash County residents underserved or have no internet access according to the Wabash County Broadband Task Force. The task force falls under the immediate supervision of Imagine One85. That organization is a countywide strategic plan focused on arresting and reversing decades of population decline in Wabash County. The organization spearheads many initiatives for betterment of economic and quality of life in Wabash County.
“Over the two-year planning process of Imagine One 85, the common themes and concerns among those stakeholders in the community have been housing, education, and broadband access,” said Imagine One 85 Director Alex Downard, who spoke during the commissioner’s meeting.
The commissioners in partnership with Imagine One 85 and Grow Wabash County launched the task force in fulfilling Imagine One 85’s initiative in significantly expanding access to high-speed broadband. The task force consists of representatives and experts from area economic development and business groups, broadband service providers, elected officials, and other community leaders seeking to provide fast, reliable broadband access to all Wabash County residents and businesses.
The state will announce the next round of grant recipients in early June.
“You go to Roann and there are places it’s impossible to get internet access,” added Eppley. “They need this service, and we need these grants.”
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