The company providing Bloomington with city-wide, high-speed internet is expanding to nearby counties. Paris-based Meridiam said it can service more than 80 percent of Bartholomew County, or almost 12,000 homes, with internet speeds of one Gigabit per second.
The Bartholomew County Council Tuesday designated all unincorporated parts of the county an economic revitalization area. The request will be up for a final vote next month, which would set the stage for a tax abatement for Meridiam, now operating as Hoosier Networks, LLC in Indiana.
The proposed tax abatement would last 20 years and cover 95 percent of Meridiam’s business personal property (fiber) in Bartholomew County. Meridiam would invest $33 million in the system, and the county will spend $4 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds.
Bartholomew County commissioners endorsed the tax abatement July 25, and the Columbus City Council recently approved a similar 20 percent abatement.
READ MORE: Bloomington gives final go ahead for broadband project
The City of Bloomington approved a tax increment finance district for its version of the project June 16, and Shelbyville already has approved a similar tax abatement for Meridiam.
