$15 million grant to assist farmers in overcoming the Internet gap

Indianapolis, Indiana – A $15 million award is being used by state officials to support the development of digital literacy and reasonably priced high-speed internet connection.

All of this is part of a national initiative to close the digital gap.

Katrina Hall, senior director of policy at the Indiana Farm Bureau, states that at least one-third of individuals in rural Indiana lack access to high-speed Internet.

According to Hall, this financing will enable farmers to access much-needed resources.
“A lot of people only use their phones to access the Internet, which is insufficient to operate a business.” “Hall said.”

High-speed Internet, according to Hall, will allow farmers to take advantage of technology. In order to provide farmers with real-time weather and crop health information, several pieces of farm equipment can calculate numbers and collect data. Data may be used to remotely monitor animals and optimize fertilizer inputs, increasing farming’s profitability.

“I believe that having more data and tools to scale will yield significant benefits,” Hall stated.

According to Hall, farmers can gain from modern agricultural technologies if they log in every day and have access to fast internet speeds.

Due to the high cost of laying fiber optics in remote locations, internet infrastructure in rural areas has been either nonexistent or very slow. Additionally, it is more difficult for Internet providers to make money in sparsely inhabited areas. Although federal funding would be helpful, Hall believes more work has to be done.

“Every home should have access to the Internet,” Hall stated. “I don’t think we’ll make it.” The governments and Internet service providers are continuing to invest in order to provide coverage for our rural Indiana communities and residents.

This is the program’s initial round. This initiative is a component of a bigger federal award that is available to several states for a total of $800 million.