Tippecanoe County, Indiana, invests $15 million in American Rescue Plan funds for broadband

Broadband internet will reach nearly all parts of Tippecanoe County (IN) after work finishes on a multi-million-dollar project. It's one of several county projects paid for by President Joe Biden's American Rescue Plan. "Tippecanoe County will be one of the first to be able to say that we have that type of service to every single parcel," County Commissioner Tom Murtaugh says. "These are remote areas. These are areas where commercial services don't necessarily want to go into because it's cost-prohibitive." A $15 million investment from the county is helping to sweeten the deal with utility company Tipmont Wintek, which is bringing fiber to 2,600 homes and businesses in Buck Creek, Clarks Hill, Shadeland, Otterbein and other rural areas. Tipmont Wintek CEO Ron Holcomb says the county is nearing full coverage. "So you might have Tipmont Wintek service, you might have Comcast service, you might have Metronet but it's gonna be a fiber-based infrastructure solution which is what Americans really need today to be competitive," he says. Officials hope high-speed internet brings higher-speed development in the area.