Indiana Opens Second Round of Broadband Grant Bidding
The state targets 15,000 unserved locations following a federally mandated overhaul of the BEAD deployment program.
Updated on Oct. 15, 2026 in Telecommunications
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The Trump administration has authorized Indiana to launch a second round of broadband infrastructure grant bidding targeting unserved locations. This expansion is limited to approximately $60 million in funding for roughly 15,000 additional sites.
Why it matters
This second round aims to reach homes and businesses overlooked in the initial distribution while leveraging a mandate to incorporate lower-cost technologies. The move reflects a broader federal effort to maximize the reach of remaining broadband infrastructure funds through increased provider competition.
Indiana finalized $418 million in grants for 122,000 locations during the first round, averaging a $3,900 federal subsidy per address. The state maintains a requirement that providers cover at least 25% of individual project costs.
The players
Strategic Management LLC
An internet infrastructure provider that secured a $150 million grant in the first round of funding.
SpaceX
A satellite communications company whose Starlink service was awarded a $26.4 million grant for Indiana coverage.
The details
The second round of bidding is strictly limited to unserved locations, defined as areas lacking internet speeds of at least 25 mbps download and 3 mbps upload. Before soliciting new applications, the state will publish a list of potentially eligible addresses for a public challenge period. This process follows a June 2025 mandate from the Trump administration requiring states to reconsider lower-cost technologies in their broadband deployment models.
Timeline
2021: Congress first approved the BEAD program.
June 2025: The Trump administration ordered a major BEAD program overhaul.
Fall 2026: Indiana expects initial construction from the first round to begin.
January or February 2027: Indiana expects to receive the federal list of eligible addresses for the second round.
End of 2030: All first-round broadband projects are scheduled for completion.
The Tech Race
This second bidding round marks a departure from the initial BEAD program deployment, which finalized $418 million in grants to 24 providers. It places Indiana in alignment with the Trump administration's revised mandate to prioritize lower-cost technologies and increase provider competition.
Residents in unserved areas should monitor the state's upcoming public challenge process for eligible address listings in early 2027. Once the second round concludes in the second half of 2027, successful projects will expand high-speed service availability across currently disconnected regions.
The takeaway
The state is shifting its focus toward reaching the final unserved population with a smaller, more competitive grant pool. Residents should track the expected release of the federal eligibility list in early 2027 to see if their specific location is included in the new deployment window.
Further reading
For more on the state's connectivity infrastructure, see Telecommunications.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Indiana Public Media.
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