Southern Indiana Business Report
SHOALS – The town of Shoals received a Bridging the Digital Divide grant from Regional Opportunity Initiatives to provide affordable internet access to underserved residents.
ROI awarded the town a $26,000 grant from its Digital Towns 2 grant cycle. The town contributed $5,500 in town funds to install public hot spots around town.
The grant’s primary objective is to address the digital divide by providing internet connectivity to students and individuals who face financial constraints in accessing home internet service. The Hoosier Community Network, a nonprofit organization of graduate students from Indiana University, will collaborate with the town.
Shoals Town Council President Cary D. Albright and Dr. Keith Dayton from the IU Kelley School of Business led the initiative. The HCN’s mission is to assist the town in assessing information about internet services.
A team led by Prajwal Kaushal, Manu Singhal, and Het Vashi, IU graduate students, is currently mapping the community to identify areas with optimal internet service and ensure comprehensive coverage for students and seniors who currently lack internet access. They are designing filters and programming measures to prevent the unauthorized use of the service.
The initial installation will be at Bo-Mac’s. Future installations are in the planning stages and will be strategically placed throughout Shoals, providing adequate coverage on both sides of White River East Fork.
“The program we are implementing is a groundbreaking initiative for a town of our size. We envision it as a model for other rural towns in Indiana to emulate,” Albright said. “Our primary objective is to provide our senior citizens and students with internet capabilities that they have never experienced or had access to before.”
Working with IU and the graduate students made it affordable for the town to pursue the hotspots.
“On behalf of our community, I want to extend our deep appreciation to ROI for their incredible support in making this project a reality,” Albright said. “Their generosity is helping us bring positive change to Shoals, and we’re truly grateful for their commitment.”
About ROI
The mission of ROI is to foster economic and community development within the 11 counties of the Indiana Uplands (Brown, Crawford, Daviess, Dubois, Greene, Lawrence, Martin, Monroe, Orange, Owen and Washington counties). ROI aims to enhance the region’s potential and possibilities by concentrating on advanced industry sectors, regionalism, transformative school and workforce redesign and placemaking strategies.