By Brynna Sentel
TheStatehouseFile.com

INDIANAPOLIS—Indiana’s lieutenant governor’s office has taken the first steps toward extending the reach of broadband internet connections to rural areas.

Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch announced last week that the Indiana broadband map is up and running with more interactive features that show Hoosiers available internet connection speeds across the state. Citizens can check the map to see whether their internet providers are delivering the internet connections that are available.

“Gov. Holcomb and I both believe rural Indiana is the next great economic development frontier,” Crouch said. High-speed internet is a download speed of 25 mpbs—megabits per second—and an upload speed of 3 Mbps. TheStatehouseFile.com reported last year that one in five Hoosiers don’t have access to internet service that allows for downloading information like work documents or movies at high speeds.

From 2009 to 2014, broadband maps were updated using funds from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration federal grant. However, when the funds ran out so did the efforts to keep the broadband coverage map up to date.

House Enrolled Act 1065, which passed in the 2018 legislative session, a fund was created to expand broadband and high-speed internet service in rural Indiana.

One of the most useful interactive features of the new map allows Hoosiers to type in their home address and find what kind of coverage and speed is offered in their area.

“Our next step is to get our director of broadband opportunities filled but also to get feedback from the public on the maps themselves,” Crouch said.

The director of broadband opportunities will serve as the single point of access in the government for the providers as well as the general public. So far, the state has received more than 60 applications from all over the country for the position.

After the position is filled, actions will be taken to provide rural Hoosiers the broadband coverage they need.

“What I envision is, We know what the map looks like now we should say in X amount of years we would like it to be 100 percent or 90 percent or whatever that number is and every year we need to see movement so that we continue to expand that access,” Crouch said.

To see whether your area offers broadband or high-speed internet service, check the map.

 FOOTNOTE: Brynna Sentel is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.