STATEHOUSE (Sept. 12, 2018) – Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch and the Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) today announced that English, in partnership with Marengo and Milltown, is one of the communities chosen to receive a Broadband Readiness Pilot Grant, said State Sen. Erin Houchin (R-Salem).
These communities will receive a grant of $50,000 as part of the Community Development Block Grant program (CDBG) and will be provided with technical assistance from the Purdue Center for Regional Development to assist them in expanding or deploying high-speed broadband internet.
During the 2018 legislative session, Houchin authored legislation establishing the Broadband Planning Grant program.
“Last session, I was proud to author and pass legislation creating a grant program for broadband expansion in unserved areas of the state,” Houchin said. “We know that high-speed internet is critical for Hoosier families, students, farmers and businesses, and providing affordable and efficient broadband service to all communities is one of my top priorities. I am thankful to Lt. Gov. Crouch and her team for their quick implementation of this grant program, and look forward to continuing our work until every Hoosier has the services they need.”
“Governor Holcomb and I believe that rural Indiana is our next great economic development frontier and it is important we are not leaving rural Indiana and the Hoosiers that call it home behind,” Crouch said. “This grant will help bring high-speed, reliable and affordable Internet to the entire state.”
Grant recipients were selected based, in part, on location, geography, population density and previous efforts to expand or deploy broadband. Grant funding is provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which is administered by OCRA.
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Contact: Elizabeth Vos, Press Secretary
Elizabeth.Vos@iga.in.gov
317-232-9539
