Southern Indiana Business Report
PLAINFIELD — Two Duke Energy Foundation grants totaling more than $113,000 are being made to help improve broadband internet access in under-served areas in 15 Indiana counties.
The foundation has awarded a grant of $100,000 to the Purdue Center for Regional Development to work with counties to develop “digital inclusion plans” to assess broadband access and needs. The targeted counties will receive $5,000 each to develop the plans.
“Whether it was remote work, distance learning or telehealth, the pandemic reinforced the value of broadband access and highlighted a digital divide between those who have access to the internet and those who do not,” said Stan Pinegar, Duke Energy Indiana state president. “As I visit community leaders and customers in our service area, the urgent need for improved connectivity inevitably comes up. We want to make sure that Indiana can compete in today’s rapidly digitizing economy and society. Internet access has become an essential part of everyday life.”
Counties selected will be in Duke Energy’s 69-county Indiana service area and will need to complete an application to the Purdue Center for Regional Development to be considered for participation. Visit https://pcrd.purdue.edu/act to apply.
“Before we can tackle a challenge, we need a road map and resources that show us where needs are and how we can fill the gaps,” said Dr. Roberto Gallardo, director of the Purdue Center for Regional Development. “With the support of the Duke Energy Foundation grant, we can provide the technical assistance that will help local communities develop or implement their plans to address digital exclusion today.”
The Duke Energy Foundation is also supporting the recently announced Indiana Rural Broadband Strategic Partnership aimed at strengthening broadband infrastructure throughout Indiana. Indiana Farm Bureau and five other organizations are leading the effort that measures how widely broadband is used by citizens.
This partnership has rolled out the Indiana Speed Test, a crowd-sourced internet speed test to gather broadband data.
The Indiana Speed Test is now available on the INFB website — www.infb.org/speedtest — along with the websites of the initial partners and a growing list of collaborating organizations, including the Purdue Center for Regional Development, Association of Indiana Counties, Indiana Association of Regional Councils, Indiana Hospital Association, Regional Opportunities Initiative and Indiana Broadband, housed within the Indiana Lieutenant Governor’s Office.
The initiative encourages residents to participate in the free, anonymous broadband speed test that can be done on any device connected to the internet. No personal information is collected. The information gathered will help direct investments in critical infrastructure that will expand the availability of high-quality internet access across the state. The Duke Energy Foundation grant of approximately $13,000 will help pay for the software involved.
“We hope that every single resident in our region — whether they live or work in a city, town or rural area — will participate in this very important project,” said Tina Peterson, president and CEO of Regional Opportunities Initiative.
Duke Energy Indiana and Duke Energy Foundation
Duke Energy Indiana, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, provides about 6,600 megawatts of owned electric capacity to approximately 840,000 customers in a 23,000-square-mile service area, making it Indiana’s largest electric supplier.
The Duke Energy Foundation provides philanthropic support to meet the needs of communities where Duke Energy customers live and work. In Indiana, the Foundation contributes more than $2 million annually in charitable gifts funded by Duke Energy shareholder dollars.