What it means to be Broadband Ready 

Being a Broadband Ready Community means that our community has taken steps to remove barriers to broadband deployment. This designation doesn’t necessarily guarantee that a Broadband Ready designated community will receive investment proposals. However, it does send a signal to area broadband partners and telecommunication providers that that county, town, or city is open to discussions for new ideas on how to improve internet connectivity in order to bring reliable and affordable broadband to every county resident who desires it. A community that is awarded this certification often sees benefits such as more open communication with area providers concerning broadband plans and could put communities with the designation in a more advantageous position to see increased economic benefits in the future.

Four different county or city/town governments have already completed the steps to become a Broadband Ready Community. Additionally, there are seven broadband taskforces made up of community leaders from a multitude of organizations working on behalf of their communities in the SIRPC region. So far, the SIRPC has been directly involved in establishing five of the seven taskforces, and is working to assist any remaining communities in our region who are interested in establishing Broadband Taskforces for participation in the Broadband Ready Communities Program. The superb members of these Taskforces work hard on behalf of their communities to help prepare the way for broadband and digital inclusion initiatives which will help ensure our region is able to close its digital gaps.

See the Indiana Broadband Office's site here for more information.