State Sen. Scott Baldwin (R-Noblesville) recently authored legislation that would create an innovative financing tool to help Indiana communities invest in high-speed broadband projects.
Baldwin
Baldwin said Senate Bill 359 would address the urgent need for high-speed connectivity across Indiana and empower all counties, cities and towns to invest in deploying local broadband projects.
According to data from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), more than 600,000 Hoosiers lack access to adequate broadband service. Indiana ranks 32nd in the nation for access to fixed broadband and mobile connectivity that meets FCC standards.
SB 359 would allow counties and local governments to finance high-speed broadband infrastructure in their communities by leveraging anticipated service fee revenue that the project would generate to pay back bonds.
“Now more than ever, Indiana’s businesses, remote workers, farmers, students and Hoosiers seeking access to virtual health care or other services must have access to reliable, high-speed internet,” Baldwin said. “Yet, many Indiana communities and residents still lack high quality connectivity. We should empower local communities to identify these needs and give them the tools to finance local broadband deployment to help sustain their communities and energize their economies.”
A study conducted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Amazon estimates that improved digital connectivity in rural areas of Indiana could add more than $2 million to the state GDP per year and create more than 16,000 jobs.
Baldwin thanked Gov. Holcomb for his leadership in establishing the Next Level Connections Broadband Grant program, which has dedicated $100 million to rural broadband deployment. Baldwin said he hopes his bill will build on these efforts by providing additional financing options for communities – rural, suburban or urban.
Sonny Beck, CEO of Beck’s Hybrids, the largest family-owned retail seed company in the U.S. and headquartered in Hamilton County, applauded Baldwin’s legislation as a strategy to address broadband needs in Indiana’s rural and agricultural communities.
“Indiana’s agriculture community is increasingly reliant on technology and digital connectivity,” Beck said. “To ensure our industry can innovate and succeed, we need to solve Indiana’s rural broadband challenges. I thank Senator Baldwin for his leadership on this bill and look forward to working with him to pass this much-needed legislation.”
To learn more about SB 359, click here.