In September, Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch announced the five rural Indiana communities that will receive funding as a part of the Broadband Readiness Planning Grant, Marshall County was one of the five.
As part of the grant, Monday morning the Marshall County Commissioners opened a public hearing allowing the public to speak on the grant which will require the county to match the $50,000 grant with $5,500.
Shannon McLeod from Priority Project Resources is assisting the county with the grant. This new plan will help the five communities gain an understanding of their current broadband conditions and needs, create a long-term vision of broadband in their community, and identify options for achieving that vision.
The pilot program that will educate and help shape how broadband can be established throughout the entire state.
The Purdue Center for Regional Development will be assisting the pilot communities, and will continue to help the state get Hoosiers out of Internet darkness. The funding for the Community Development Block Grant program comes from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which is administered by OCRA.
The grant will allow Marshall County to hire a consultant who will work with the county and all of the incorporated communities within to define what broadband infrastructure is, determine where it is lacking and how determine a feasibly way to get it up to date.
The commissioners approved going forward with the pilot program grant. McLeod will appear before the County Council next week for the grant match.
