With the Indiana State Fair in full swing, fellow legislators and I recently gathered at the fairgrounds for the annual Rural Caucus Day. This is a great opportunity to discuss important issues facing our rural communities, like boosting broadband access, addressing the loss of prime agricultural land, and attracting and retaining a skilled workforce. Indiana continues to cultivate solutions that better support local Hoosiers and their businesses.
The 2020 Broadband Connectivity Trend data shows over 230,000 Indiana locations are unserved and over 740,000 are underserved. In Jasper County, over 75 percent are either unserved or underserved. With the Indiana Connectivity Program, Hoosiers lacking access to broadband internet service can connect with providers to extend broadband to their home or business at no cost to them. Homeowners and business owners in our area in need of more reliable broadband connections can learn more and apply for the Indiana Connectivity program at in.gov/ocra/broadband/icp/. Hoosiers can also register by phone at 833-639-8522 or by mail to the following address: Indiana Broadband Connect Center The Office of Community and Rural Affairs, 1 N. Capitol Ave., Suite 600, Indianapolis, IN 46204.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than half of Indiana’s counties lost population in the last decade, while Jasper, White and Pulaski Counties lost over 8 percent of farmland from 2010 to 2020. Looking ahead, the Land Use Task Force, which I will co-chair, will meet in the coming months to discuss ways to strengthen our communities and preserve prime farmland, which is critical to our county’s and state's future. I authored legislation urging the creation of this task force to gather key data that local officials can use when making important decisions that promote smart economic growth while considering the area's agricultural needs. State lawmakers and representatives from a wide range of industries, including agriculture, business, construction, development, food and beverage, local government, planning, real estate and zoning serve on the task force. Together, they'll gather and report their findings and recommendations to the legislative council by the end of this year. You can follow their work by visiting the Land Use Task Force page on the Indiana General Assembly website at iga.in.gov.
Indiana continues to work with local communities to accelerate investments and economic growth, and be a magnet for talent, but we must do more. This year, I supported a strong investment to expand Indiana's successful READI program, which encourages neighboring counties, cities and towns to collaborate and develop ways to retain and boost their local workforces. From there, they can apply for a competitive grant from the state to put their vision and plan into action. These initiatives could support mental and public health, housing infrastructure, broadband expansion and more. In northwest Indiana, there have been three quality of life projects, four quality of place projects and 13 quality of opportunity projects in the last year through READI. Unfortunately, most of these projects have not found their way to the rural areas. I’ve been assured by officials our rural communities will be the focus of READI funds this go around. I will continue to advocate for our local communities and their needs. You can learn more by visiting indianareadi.com.
Overall, Indiana continues to step up to help support our rural communities and I'll continue to be a strong voice at the Statehouse for our local communities. Whether we're addressing broadband issues, protecting prime farmland, supporting early childhood education or building our workforce, I'm committed to working together and finding solutions. If you need help accessing state resources or navigating state government or have an idea for how I can better serve our community, please contact me at h16@iga.in.gov or call me at 317-232-9651.
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State Rep. Kendell Culp (R-Rensselaer) represents House District 16,
which includes portions of Jasper, Pulaski, Starke and White counties.
Click here to download a high-resolution photo.
