Efforts to bring broadband to more parts of rural LaPorte County are getting a boost.
The county commissioners voted Wednesday to designate all unincorporated areas of LaPorte County an Infrastructure Development Zone. The ordinance gives a 10-year tax break to companies that install new fiber-optic lines to homes, businesses and other buildings in the area.
Union Mills resident David Weiler said he struggled for years to get reliable internet. "It will be worth it in the long run, to get everybody in our areas where you have no other choice," Weiler told the commissioners.
One company likely to take advantage of the incentive is Surf Internet. It’s planning to extend broadband to almost 3,400 locations in rural LaPorte County, with federal funding helping with construction costs. Steve Carender with Surf said the county’s tax break makes the project more financially viable.
"We face that ongoing operational burden of a low-revenue-producing asset that we have no subsidy for, and that’s why we’re seeking tax relief on that," Carender said.
Under the ordinance, Surf would also give the county 15 percent of its projected tax savings.
Commissioner Joe Haney said reliable high-speed internet is not a luxury but a necessity for many people. "These are types of amenities that not just attract new people but keep our family members here, to choose LaPorte County," Haney said.
He said that with the federal government spending millions to extend broadband to rural areas, he’d like to see some of that come back to LaPorte County.
