Over 14% of all funds approved in round three of Indiana’s Next Level Connections Broadband Program will help expand high speed internet services in and near Noble County.

Leading the list of local internet service providers (ISPs) that submitted winning projects, outlining plans to connect more unserved and underserved households and business across Noble County, was Ligtel Communications. The company, founded and headquartered in Ligonier, was approved to receive over $11.5 million dollars, and will invest another $7.5 million, to complete network expansions to deliver high speed, fiberoptic internet service to over 2,700 homes and more than 400 businesses.

According to Ligtel’s letters of intent, they plan to build Fiber to the Home (FTTH) and provide broadband service at speeds up to 1,000 Mbps / 1,000 Mbps to addresses in rural Albion, Avilla, Brimfield, Cromwell, Kendallville, Kimmell, Laotto, Ligonier, Rome City, Wawaka, and Wolcottville in Noble County, plus some in neighboring counties.

A total of $26 million of funding was announced in round three of the program. Additional Noble County addresses were submitted for funding by Mediacom, LaGrange REMC, Mercury Wireless, and Frontier. A total of 4,067 households and 512 businesses stand to be served by expansions of high speed broadband services as a result of these awards. Additional addresses noted in providers’ letters of intent included Wawaka and Rome City (Jones Lake, West Lakes, and Waldron Lake).

More broadband funding opportunities remain possible as ISPs await announcements from federal grant programs expected to come this summer. Noble County led the state in internet speed tests recorded by businesses and residents which provided significant, critical data to support ISP project proposals. For more information about the Next Level Connections Broadband Program, visit https://www.in.gov/indianabroadband/.