A groundbreaking ceremony was held Thursday, July 20 to celebrate the start of a construction project that will deliver fiber optic internet to the City of Knox. Representatives from Surf Internet SM, the City of Knox, and the Starke County Economic Development Foundation were present for the occasion.
Surf is investing nearly $2 million of its own capital to bring fiber to 1,200 addresses this year, with further expansion to serve over 1,600 homes in 2024. Because of the rural nature of Starke County, Surf is leveraging grant funding to connect the fiber network to 20 rural addresses funded through the Indiana Connectivity Program, an initiative of the Indiana Office of Community & Rural Affairs.
Earlier this month, Surf was awarded $79,500 in the Indiana Connectivity Program’s 6th round of funding. Surf CEO Gene Cruise stated Surf is the first company to step up and deploy fiber-optic broadband to Knox.
Construction for all phases of the project is scheduled to wrap up by summer 2024. Once complete, the fiber infrastructure will allow Surf to introduce multi-gig speeds in the future, giving residents even faster options to suit their connectivity needs.
