Ark. Posts Broadband Report; Ind. Unveils $189M in Grants

Arkansas can bring broadband to 110,000 unserved homes that don’t currently receive Rural Digital Opportunity Fund support, said a state report released Monday by Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R). Arkansas has 210,000 unserved households, with 100,000 of them covered by an RDOF grant, the governor’s office said. “I look forward to expedited progress as we put into operation the recommendations,” Hutchinson said. Arkansas Commerce Secretary Mike Preston said “we now have a roadmap and a detailed plan to fill the remaining gaps of the underserved areas of our state.” Arkansas will continue partnerships with ISPs, electric cooperatives, the legislature and other stakeholders, “taking recommendations from this plan and updating the broadband rules,” he said. Also Monday, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb (R) said the state will spend $189 million on 14 broadband infrastructure expansion projects in the third round of the state’s broadband grant program. It will cover about 52,900 homes and commercial locations in 80 counties, Holcomb’s office said. Adding to the state’s investment, 35 telecom providers and electric cooperatives committed about $239 million in matching funds, it said. Indiana grants included $13.6 million to Comcast, $6.1 million to AT&T, $2.9 million to Mediacom and $2.2 million to Frontier Communications.