ENA To Provide Educational Broadband Throughout Indiana

Managed network services provider Education Networks of America (ENA) has received a grant from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to build a broadband infrastructure for underserved communities, schools, and libraries throughout the state of Indiana. The NTIA is providing the $14.3 million grant through the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP), a component of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

With the funds provided by the grant, the company estimated that it can erect reliable, fiber-based broadband infrastructures in 145 communities in the state. This initiative will bring Internet access to nearly 250,000 homes and businesses, as well as more than 600 schools, public libraries, hospitals, and other institutions that can use such access to serve their communities in a vast number of ways, offering improved communications, online learning and professional training, and access to government and other resources aimed at improving users' knowledge and well being.

"Providing equity of access to broadband service for all schools and libraries in Indiana is critical to achieving our educational objectives," said John B. Keller, director of learning technologies for the Indiana Department of Education (IDE). "This grant will help move us closer to making sure all schools have fiber-based, high-speed broadband access."

ENA was able to secure the grant with help of a large and diverse array of recommendations for its record of performance and customer service, with letters of support proffered by IDE, the Indiana State Library, the Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents, and 175 community and four national organizations.

About the Author

Scott Aronowitz is a freelance writer based in Las Vegas. He has covered the technology, advertising, and entertainment sectors for seven years. He can be reached here.

Featured

  • glowing digital brain made of blue circuitry hovers above multiple stylized clouds of interconnected network nodes against a dark, futuristic background

    Report: 85% of Organizations Are Leveraging AI

    Eighty-five percent of organizations today are utilizing some form of AI, according to the latest State of AI in the Cloud 2025 report from Wiz. While AI's role in innovation and disruption continues to expand, security vulnerabilities and governance challenges remain pressing concerns.

  • teacher

    6 Policy Recommendations for Adopting AI in the Classroom

    The Southern Regional Education Board's Commission on AI in Education has published six recommendations on adopting artificial intelligence in schools, colleges, and universities. The guidance marks the commission's first release since it was established last February, with more recommendations planned in the coming year.

  • augmented reality goggles on a desk in a dark, shut-down production lab with neon accents and scattered tools

    Microsoft Transitioning Away from HoloLens Mixed Reality Hardware

    Microsoft has confirmed that hardware development for its HoloLens mixed reality headset has officially come to an end.

  • a professional worker in business casual attire interacting with a large screen displaying a generative AI interface in a modern office

    Study Finds Generative AI Could Inhibit Critical Thinking

    A new study on how knowledge workers engage in critical thinking found that workers with higher confidence in generative AI technology tend to employ less critical thinking to AI-generated outputs than workers with higher confidence in personal skills.