Broadband’s ability to expand educational and employment opportunities is especially meaningful for Americans who are deaf or hard of hearing, a community that faces unique challenges in education and that suffers from a rate of unemployment much higher than the national average. Communication Service for the Deaf, Inc. (CSD) intends to expand broadband adoption among people who are deaf and hard of hearing and provide them with online tools to more fully participate in the digital economy. The project proposes to employ a combination of discounted broadband service and specialized computers, technology training from an online state-of-the art support center customized to the community’s needs, public access to videophones at anchor institutions from coast to coast, and a nationwide outreach initiative. Thousands will gain online access to all the Internet has to offer, including sign language interpreters, captioned video services, and other content and functionalities designed especially to advance their educational, employment, and healthcare interests.
Indiana
| Grantee | Total Award | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Communication Service for the Deaf, Inc. | $14,988,657 | Sustainable Adoption |
| Education Networks of America, Inc. | $14,257,172 | Infrastructure |
| Indiana Office of Technology | $3,294,766 | Broadband Data & Development |
| One Economy Corporation | $28,519,482 | Sustainable Adoption |
| University Corporation for Advanced Internet Development | $62,540,162 | Infrastructure |
| Zayo Bandwidth, LLC | $25,140,315 | Infrastructure |
The Broadband Access and Equity for Indiana Community Anchor Institutions project plans to improve educational opportunities throughout Indiana by deploying 560 miles of fiber to deliver broadband Internet service. The project intends to provide 100 Mbps connections directly to 145 public schools and libraries around the state. These enhanced broadband capabilities will enable the state’s schools and libraries to enhance educational offerings and services for an estimated 290,000 students and library patrons.
Project Components
Data Collection, Integration, and Validation:
This project was originally funded for two years of data collection. In September of 2010, this project was amended to extend data collection activities for an additional three years and to identify and implement best practices.
Address File Development:
The State of Indiana Office of Technology will support address development of raw data submitted by counties, data hosting and transfer costs for address point and centerline aggregation, and a small portion of the costs required to refresh orthophotography with other state partners.
The 21st Century Information and Support Ecosystem project proposes to implement a comprehensive program of computer training, wireless Internet access, broadband awareness marketing, and online content and applications to residents of 159 affordable and public housing developments and low-income communities in 50 cities and towns across 31 states and the District of Columbia. The project plans to implement four principal programs: training 2,500 youth to become “Digital Connectors” who will then provide digital literacy training to others in their communities; deploying localized broadband networks in public housing developments; developing online content and applications aimed at low-income, low-literacy audiences.
As part of a longstanding project to connect essential community anchor institutions across the country, and facilitate closer collaboration and long-term benefits for education, research, healthcare, public safety, and government services, the University Corporation for Advanced Internet Development (UCAID) proposes a comprehensive 50-state network benefitting approximately 121,000 community anchors. The project proposes a large-scale, public-private partnership to interconnect more than 30 existing research and education networks, creating a dedicated 100-200 Gbps nationwide fiber backbone with 3.2 terabits per second (TBps) total capacity that would enable advanced networking features such as IPv6 and video multicasting. The project plans to connect community anchors across all disciplines into virtual communities with shared goals and objectives, including colleges, universities, libraries, major veterans and other health care facilities, and public safety entities, with additional benefits to tribes, vulnerable populations, and government entities.
The Indiana Middle Mile Fiber for Schools, Communities, and Anchor Institutions project plans to directly connect 21 Ivy Tech Community College campuses to the state’s existing high-speed network for education and research, known as the I-Light network. The Ivy Tech Community College is Indiana’s largest higher education institution with over 130,000 students, and is the largest singly accredited community college system in the nation. The project plans to deploy a 626-mile fiber-optic network to provide 1 Gbps to 10 Gbps connections between the newly-connected Ivy Tech campuses and the 42 colleges and universities already on the I-Light network, which will advance research, education, and economic opportunities throughout Indiana. In addition, the project expects to spur affordable broadband service to local consumers in more than 100 communities along the route, over 70 percent of which are in underserved areas, by allowing local Internet service providers to connect to the project’s open network.