Grant helps fund $12.9M broadband expansion in Howard County

Tyler Juranovich, Kokomo Tribune, Ind.
·3 min read

Nearly 1,500 households in underserved parts of Howard County will be able to access up to 1 gigabyte speed internet within the next two years.

BerryComm, a Kokomo-based fiber internet service provider, is set to make a $12.9 million investment in the county to expand broadband access to the county’s more remote areas.

The investment is thanks to the company receiving $7 million in grant money from the state of Indiana’s Next Level Connections Broadband Program. The ISP is throwing in nearly $6 million of its money as a match to the state grant.

The grant money comes as three separate grants. Cory Childs, president of BerryComm, said the company has accepted two of the grants and is in the process of working with the state to formally accept the third.

The ISP company will use the money to extend its fiber service from the company’s 55-mile fiber ring it finished installing around the entire county last year. That endeavor was funded in part by $3 million from the county.

BerryComm began connecting customers to the fiber ring in early 2023.

The latest expansion will focus on several parts of the county, including west of Kokomo toward Burlington, just northwest of Kokomo, southwest Howard County near and around Russiaville and parts of eastern Howard County, according to a map provided by the state.

These areas have been identified as being underserved, or not having adequate broadband internet speeds. Per the state’s grant program guidelines, ISPs must provide internet service of at least 100MB per second download and 20MB per second upload.

In total, the company’s expansion will offer service to 1,480 new residences.

“We’re really happy with the amount we got,” Childs said. “This is a continuation of what we set out to do.”

BerryComm will offer three plans — 100MB per second for $50 a month, 250MB per second for $75 a month and 1GB per second for $99 a month. All plans include symmetrical download and upload speeds.

Per the grant stipulations, BerryComm must complete build out within two years. Childs told the Tribune he believes the company can do it sooner than that.

Next year, the company plans on going after federal funds that will be distributed to Indiana from President Joe Biden’s $1.2 trillion 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law.

Of the $1.2 trillion, more than $42 billion are allocated for building internet access as part of the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program. Of that amount, the state of Indiana will receive $868 million. That’s more than double the total amount allocated for Indiana’s Next Level Connections Broadband Program.

“You got the [fiber] ring, now this build pushing even further out into the rural parts of the county, we’re now going to be really well positioned to make some strong applications for BEAD dollars and picking up the remainder [of the county],” Childs said. “The dream of connecting everyone in Howard County is getting a lot closer.”

To see if BerryComm is coming to your neighborhood, visit berrycomm.org or call the company at 765-553-5494.