Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, the Indiana Broadband Office and the Office of Community and Rural Affairs recently announced Jennings County, Vernon and North Vernon as the newest Broadband Ready Communities.

The program was created as a tool to encourage broadband development throughout Indiana. The certification sends a signal to the telecommunication industry a community has taken steps to reduce barriers to broadband infrastructure investment, according to a news release from the Indiana Broadband Office.

The certification was approved by IBO and OCRA following Jennings County, the town of Vernon and the city of North Vernon’s each individual adoption of Broadband Ready Community ordinances.

To date, 85 communities across the state are now BBRC. Jackson County was declared broadband ready in September 2021.

More information about the state’s internet broadband initiatives is available at in.gov/indianabroadband/.