Five Area Communities Receive Broadband Ready Designation

The Broadband Ready Communities Program encourages broadband development throughout Indiana.

Photo by Travis Thayer, Eagle Country 99.3.

(Lawrenceburg, Ind.) - Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch, the Indiana Broadband Office (IBO) and the Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) on Thursday announced five new Broadband Ready Communities. 

They are Ohio and Dearborn counties, the Town of Moores Hill, the Town of Dillsboro, and the City of Rising Sun. 

The designations were celebrated at Ivy Tech Lakefront Campus in Lawrenceburg on Thursday morning. Broadband Ready Community certification sends a signal to the telecommunication industry that a community has taken steps to reduce barriers to broadband infrastructure investment. 

Earnie Holtrey, Deputy Director at the Indiana Broadband Office, was on hand Thursday morning to congratulate the newest broadband ready communities. 

"Communities who come together to embark upon bettering their communities in tandem with one another are impacting the lives of Hoosiers in great ways," said Holtrey. "This is an incredible example for our BBRC program. Congratulations!"

One Dearborn, Inc. has been a big driver for this broadband initiative for Dearborn and Ohio counties. In early 2022, One Dearborn decided to make sure Dearborn and Ohio counties were better engaged with the broadband initiatives happening in the state. Last year, the Dearborn & Ohio Counties Broadband & Digital Inclusion Task Force was awarded a $15,000 grant for a small business website development program, which helped seven small businesses. 

Thursday's announcement of new Broadband Ready Communities builds on critical steps that have been taken to improve quality-of-life through broadband expansion.  

"In becoming Broadband Ready Communities, Dearborn County, Ohio County, the City of Rising Sun, the Town of Dillsboro, and the Town of Moores Hill, have all taken steps to reduce barriers to broadband infrastructure investment. Reducing the regulatory hurdles that deter investment is a key step towards creating an environment ripe for broadband investment to help all our homes and business get connected," said leadership from each community in a joint statement. (Commissioner Jim Thatcher of Dearborn County, Commissioner Connie Brown of Ohio County, Mayor Steve Slack of the City of Rising Sun, and Town Council members of the Town of Moores Hill and the Town of Dillsboro). 

To date, 82 communities across the state are now BBRC. 

"This is an incredible milestone for each community, the region and the state," said OCRA Executive Director Denny Spinner.