Starke County is designated as an official Broadband Ready Community. Starke County was one of five pilot Broadband Planning Grant Communities and is now the 35th community to be designated a Broadband Ready Community in the state, following the Starke County Commissioners’ adoption of a Broadband Ready Community ordinance.
The Broadband Ready Communities Program was created as a tool to encourage broadband development throughout Indiana by serving as an information resource and certifying local communities as being broadband ready. The Broadband Ready Community certification sends a signal to the telecommunication industry that a community has taken steps to reduce barriers to broadband infrastructure investment.
The OCRA Broadband Readiness Planning Grant program was established to help communities understand the definition of broadband, the current state of broadband within the community, and plan for its future.
The commissioners will be working with the State of Indiana, Kankakee Valley REMC and existing internet service providers to put plans together to assist the residents in Starke County to improve broadband service.
