Traditionally, sparsely populated areas have not received as much attention from fiber providers as those with greater populations because they simultaneously had less revenue potential and were more expensive to reach and serve. Satellite services can change that. Currently, it says that only 3% of Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program funding awards are for Starlink and less than 1% are for Amazon Kuiper.
The awards, which were announced by the Indiana Broadband Office (IBO), will support 149 homes and seven businesses. Broadband service providers in Indiana are matching the grants in the amount of $1,116,469, which brings the total investment to $1,771,145. Projects must be completed within nine months of the contract date, according to the press release. The program has allocated more than $14 million and helped to provide service to 3,000 homes, businesses and anchor institutions across the Hoosier State.
