Indiana receives rural broadband funding
INDIANAPOLIS (Inside INdiana Business) –– The Federal Communications Commission says Indiana has been provided with $169 million to improve access to high-speed internet. The funding is through the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Phase 1 auction.
The FCC says the auction covered more than 5.2 million unserved homes and businesses, which was nearly 99% of the locations available in the auction. A total of 180 bidders won auction support, which will be distributed over the next 10 years. Indiana saw 11 bidders for nearly 153,000 locations.
“I’m thrilled with the incredible success of this auction, which brings welcome news to millions of unconnected rural Americans who for too long have been on the wrong side of the digital divide. They now stand to gain access to high-speed, high-quality broadband service,” said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. “We structured this innovative and groundbreaking auction to be technologically neutral and to prioritize bids for high-speed, low-latency offerings.”
The FCC says the final cost to cover all locations is just over $9 billion, with the majority of locations receiving gigabit broadband, which is much higher than the 25/3 Mbps minimum level of service. The FCC says providers must be able to meet buildout requirements to ensure they reach all locations by the end of the sixth year.
Click here for more information on the auction and a map of winning bids.