Indiana § 4-4-41-8 - Broadband provider registration with program; public broadband portal; broadband provider bidding for provision of broadband service to unserved addresses

§ 4-4-41-8. Broadband provider registration with program; public broadband portal; broadband provider bidding for provision of broadband service to unserved addresses

Sec. 8. (a) The office shall contact broadband Internet providers to solicit the providers' registration with the program. The office shall not:

(1) require a provider to provide any proprietary business information to the office for purposes of participating in the program; or

(2) require a provider to participate in the program.

(b) The office shall create and administer a public broadband portal:

(1) that is accessible to individuals through the office's website and through a mailing address designated by the office for the purpose of public access to the portal; and

(2) through which an individual may submit the individual's residential or business address to report that minimum broadband Internet connectivity is unavailable at the address.

The public broadband portal created and administered by the office under this section must solicit information as to whether one (1) or more eligible students reside at an address that is reported by an individual under subdivision (2). The office may contract or consult with one (1) or more third parties in the creation or administration of the public broadband portal required by this section.

(c) At least every three (3) months, the office shall:

(1) post addresses, including ZIP codes and any reported information as to whether an eligible student resides at an address, submitted under subsection (b)(2) to a website that is accessible only to registered providers; and

(2) not less than twenty-four (24) hours after the addresses are posted, send notice of the posting to registered providers by electronic mail.

(d) Not later than ten (10) business days after a registered provider receives notice of a posting of addresses under subsection (c), the registered provider may provide notice to the office of any posted address at which the registered provider's minimum broadband Internet service is available.

(e) If the office does not receive notice under subsection (d) regarding an address within ten (10) business days after posting the address under subsection (c), the office shall, not later than twenty (20) business days after the expiration of the ten (10) business day period described in subsection (d), transmit to each registered provider a bid notification for provision of broadband Internet service at the address.

(f) A registered provider that receives a bid notification for an address under subsection (e) and wishes to submit a bid for provision of broadband Internet service to the address must, not later than sixty (60) days after receiving the bid notification, send to the office a bid that includes:

(1) a proposal for making a line extension from the provider's existing broadband Internet infrastructure to the address;

(2) an estimate of the state's share of the cost for the line extension; and

(3) a statement of the amount of the cost of the line extension that the provider agrees to bear.

(g) The office shall, not later than thirty (30) business days after the close of the sixty (60) day bidding period for an address under subsection (f), evaluate the bids received and select the provider whose bid presents the lowest cost to the state for extension of the provider's broadband Internet infrastructure to the address.

(h) As used in this section, "eligible student" means a student who is:

(1) a resident of Indiana;

(2) less than twenty-three (23) years of age; and

(3) enrolled in a school in Indiana providing any combination of kindergarten through grade 12 instruction.

As added by P.L.89-2021, SEC.11 and P.L.158-2021, SEC.2. Amended by P.L.1-2025, SEC.13.