The mission of the Indiana Broadband Office (IBO) is to assist residents in need of affordable and reliable broadband connectivity. IBO recognizes that affordability is an important component of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program and that deployment without affordable options will severely limit Indiana residents’ ability to navigate the internet effectively and utilize digital services.

According to the 2017-2021 American Community Survey (ACS), 24.7 percent of households in the state did not have home internet access or relied solely on cellular data to access the internet. Roughly 30 percent of households making less than $35,000 per year did not have home internet access compared to 5 percent of households making $75,000 or more per year. When comparing urban and rural, 36.8 percent of rural households making less than $35,000 per year did not have home internet access compared to 28.7 percent of urban households. Clearly, location and income play a role.

In light of this, Indiana's top digital equity goal is to provide Indiana residents with universal connectivity that is affordable, accessible, reliable, equitable, and available in public and private spaces to ensure maximum adoption.

In its initial BEAD proposal, the Indiana Broadband Office commits to developing a state-specific definition of affordability and working to provide the necessary resources that enable broadband access for residents. The office also championed the Federal Communications Commission's Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) and encouraged eligible households to subscribe to the service. The IBO planned to work with internet service providers (ISPs) to ensure that all Indiana residents in BEAD-funded areas would have access to broadband service that offers an ACP program. Since ACP funding has run out, IBO will explore options to ensure that Indiana residents still have affordable options available to them.  

Indiana's Low-Cost Broadband Service Option for BEAD Networks

Like many other states, the Indiana Broadband Office planned its low-cost broadband service option around ACP. BEAD subgrantees were intended to participate in the Affordable Connectivity Program, and offer all ACP-eligible customers a service that met the following minimum requirements:

1. Costs less than the threshold set by the annually reviewed methodology, inclusive of all taxes, fees, and charges (more below).  
2. Allows the end user to apply the ACP subsidy to the service price.
3. Provides typical download speeds of at least 100 Megabits per second (Mbps) and typical upload speeds of at least 20 Mbps. 
4. Provides typical latency measurements of no more than 100 milliseconds.
5. Is not subject to data caps, surcharges, or usage-based throttling, and is subject only to the same acceptable use policies to which subscribers to all other broadband internet access service plans offered to home subscribers by the participating subgrantee must adhere.
6. In the event the provider later offers a low-cost plan with higher speeds downstream and/or upstream, permits Eligible Subscribers who are subscribed to a low-cost broadband service option to upgrade to the new low-cost offering at no cost. 

Indiana's Cost Threshold Methodology

An applicant’s monthly plan will be considered low-cost if it is equal to or less than 2 percent of the maximum eligible annual income for the ACP for a household of one divided by twelve (12). In other words, the ACP’s maximum eligible annual income for a household of one is currently $29,160. Divided by twelve, this is a monthly income of $2,430. For 2023, the maximum monthly charge for a low-cost plan would be 2 percent of $2,430, or $48.60. 

Even though the ACP has ended, IBO will require all BEAD subgrantees to provide the same low-cost plan detailed above to all households that otherwise would have been eligible for the Affordable Connectivity Program. If a successor program is adopted, the Indiana Broadband Office will require all subgrantees to participate in that program. 

Indiana's BEAD Middle-Class Affordability Plans 

To ensure that BEAD-funded projects remain affordable to the middle class, the Indiana Broadband Office is adopting two middle-class affordability approaches: Affordability in Scoring Criteria and Recommended Middle-Class Affordability Plans.

Affordability in Scoring Criteria  

The IBO has weighted its BEAD application review scoring heavily toward affordability criteria—20 percent of the total scoring. All prospective subgrantees will be scored on their proposed pricing for gigabit symmetrical service (for end-to-end fiber networks) or 100/20 service (for projects employing non-fiber technology). By allocating such significant points to affordability, the IBO believes it will incentivize applicants towards prices that are affordable for the middle class. Additionally, the Indiana Broadband Office set the threshold for affordability scoring—$100 for gigabit symmetrical and $70 for 100/20 Mbps service—based on Indiana service providers' responses to the FCC’s Urban Rate Survey. By setting these thresholds based on existing service provision in Indiana’s urban areas, the IBO believes it will provide improved middle-class affordability in BEAD project areas.

Recommended Middle-Class Affordability Plans

Beyond the subgrantee selection scoring criteria, the IBO will also encourage all providers participating in the BEAD Program to offer an affordable option for 100/20 Mbps service that is available to all customers. The IBO recommends that this plan’s price be no higher than the rates for 100/20 service provided in the FCC’s United States Broadband Benchmark Rate Calculator, created annually using the data from the broadband Urban Rate Survey. For 2023, the US benchmark rate for 100/20 service is $104.99. As the Urban Rate Survey data is released each year, the IBO will notify all subgrantees about the updated benchmark for 100/20 service and promote middle-class affordability plans in alignment with the new benchmark.

Indiana's BEAD Funding

On July 8, 2024, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) approved Indiana’s Initial BEAD Proposals, including these affordability plans. Indiana’s BEAD funding is more than $868 million. By July 8, 2025, Indiana must submit a Final Proposal that details, among other things, the outcome of the subgrantee selection process and how the state will ensure universal, affordable broadband coverage.

“Since day one, our goal has always been to provide all Hoosiers with reliable and affordable broadband coverage,” said Governor Eric J. Holcomb. “In today’s digitally dependent world, broadband connectivity can be a lifeline for residents and better connect communities to the wider world of commerce and communication. The BEAD, in conjunction with our state and local programming, will continue to provide those needed connections to our still underserved areas.”

Additional Coverage on Indiana Broadband Priorities

• A Plan to Transform Indiana's Digital Equity Landscape
• Capital Projects Fund Helps Link Indiana to the World
• Indiana is All IN on Broadband
• Indiana Connectivity Program Round 10 Awards
• Gov Holcomb announces more than $81 million broadband expansion

See the latest Indiana broadband news

More in this Series

• Louisiana's Plan for Affordable Broadband
• Pennsylvania's Plan for Affordable Broadband
• Washington State's Plan for Affordable Broadband
• The Kansas Affordability Plan
• Affordable Broadband for Nevada
• Will BEAD Networks Deliver Affordable Broadband for All in West Virginia?
• Delaware Wants to be the First State to Achieve Universal Broadband—Affordability is a Key Component
• Eliminating the Digital Divide in the District of Columbia Requires a Focus on Affordability
• A Plan to Bridge the Digital Divide in Colorado
• Ensuring All Hoosiers Have Reliable and Affordable Broadband
• Increasing Broadband Availability, Accessibility, and Affordability for the Benefit of All Utahns
• The Connection Between Affordability and Internet Adoption in Oregon
• How Maryland is Working to Make Broadband More Affordable
• Arizona Aims to Make the "6th C" More Affordable
• Illinois Committed to Changing the Broadband Affordability Picture
• Broadband Affordability is First and Foremost in Maine
• Universal Access to Affordable, Reliable Broadband in Kentucky
• Hawai'i is Working to Connect All to Affordable Broadband

The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that all people in the U.S. have access to competitive, High-Performance Broadband regardless of where they live or who they are. We believe communication policy - rooted in the values of access, equity, and diversity - has the power to deliver new opportunities and strengthen communities.

© Benton Institute for Broadband & Society 2024. Redistribution of this email publication - both internally and externally - is encouraged if it includes this copyright statement.

For subscribe/unsubscribe info, please email headlinesATbentonDOTorg

Kevin Taglang
Executive Editor, Communications-related Headlines
Benton Institute
for Broadband & Society
1041 Ridge Rd, Unit 214
Wilmette, IL 60091
847-220-4531
headlines AT benton DOT org

Share this edition:

Broadband Delivers Opportunities and Strengthens Communities