Residents of Starke County gathered at the Henry F. Schricker Public Library in Knox Thursday, January 18 taking a significant step towards bringing high-speed internet to their communities.
Hosted by the Starke County Economic Development Foundation (SCEDF) in collaboration with Surf Internet and CEO Gene Crusie, the event aimed to educate residents about the opportunities offered by the Indiana Connectivity Program (ICP) and guide them through the application process. Surf Internet team members were on hand to address questions and walk attendees through the application process at six different computer stations within the library. In all, 55 households applied to the ICP during the event.
The statewide Indiana Connectivity Program is working to connect residents and businesses that lack access to broadband internet service with service providers, and assist in the expense of extending broadband to those locations. Residents are required to apply to the program individually so that the ICP can verify eligibility and assess each address on a case-by-case basis.
Indiana residents and businesses without access to internet services, or those with service speeds less than 100 Mbps download, 20 Mbps upload, are eligible to apply. Internet service providers, including Surf Internet, will later have the opportunity to bid on state Next Level Connections Broadband Grant funds to help provide high-speed internet to communities in need.
Surf Internet is working to help underserved residents apply to this unique opportunity and they have created a dedicated page on their website for Indiana residents to begin the application process. Visit https://surfinternet.com/icp to get started.
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