USDA to invest $1M in Fountain County broadband

LINDEN, Ind. (Inside INdiana Business) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture is investing $1 million to provide broadband service in west central Indiana. The Tipmont Rural Electric Membership Corp. will use the grant to deploy a fiber network it says will connect residents, businesses and farms in Fountain County to high-speed broadband internet.

The investment is part of the $550 million Congress allocated to the second round of the ReConnect Program. With the funding, the department says nearly 300 people, 10 businesses and 16 farms in Fountain County will gain access to high-speed internet.

“I’m hopeful that investments such as ReConnect can help farmers operate more effectively and efficiently to deliver their products to those across Indiana – and, indeed, across the world,” said USDA Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Ted McKinney.

Earlier this week, the USDA announced plans to invest nearly $4 million to connect thousands of residents in Jackson and Lawrence counties to high-speed internet.

The USDA says it received 11 Round Two ReConnect Program applications that are eligible for the $100 million Congress allocated to the program through the CARES Act.