Broadband Task Force

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Meetings are held the first Friday every other month from 9-10am.

Co-Chair: Sheila Matias LPC Commission Member

Co-Chair: Tony Rodriguez LPC OCED Director

Members:

Michael Bohacek – Indiana, State Senator, District 8

Jim Pressell – Indiana State Representative, District 20

Pat Boy – Indiana State Representative, District 9

Randy Novak – President, La Porte County Council

Al Walus – Senior Project Manager, Christopher B. Burke Engineering, LLC

Scott Sears – President & CEO, KVREMC

Justin Kiel – CEO & Owner Westville Indicator

Tom Fath – Vice President, Westville Town Council

Mary Jane Thomas – Founder, Thomas & Associates

Bailey McGrath – Marketing & Program Coordinator, One Region

Richard Pate – CEO, Pate & Associates

Mary Foell – Purdue Extension

Mitch Bishop – Planner, La Porte County

Mike Ordziejewski – GIS Director, La Porte County

Fonda Owens – Director, La Porte County Public Library

Kevin McGuire – Director of I.T., Michigan City Area Schools

Viviana Plaza – Community Development Specialist, La Porte County OCED

Joe Haney – Vice President, La Porte County Commission

Andy Matanic – Director of Information Technology, Michigan City Area Schools

Don Parker – Director, Wanatah Public Library

Beth West – Manager, TransPorte

Darlene Hale – Director of Information Technology, La Porte County

Mark Scarborough – Member, La Porte County Farm Bureau

Roscoe Hoffman – Network Administrator, La Porte County

Mike Schultz – Assessor, La Porte County

Mike Dempsey – Director of Operations, Access LPC Television

Nelson Pichardo – Attorney, Friedman & Associates

Who We Are

The La Porte County Broadband Task Force is a hand selected, Blue Ribbon Panel of executives, representing key stakeholder groups from all of La Porte County’s primary anchor institutions, healthcare, education, government, and private industry. Special attention has been paid to assure the task force’s objective point of view in solving our connectivity challenges remains unbiased given the rapidly changing and technological evolutions for deploying data communications infrastructure.

La Porte County Rural Broadband Task Force Inaugural Meeting

March 2019

La Porte County Rural Broadband Task Force Inaugural Meeting March 2019

Vision:

Equitable deployment and utilization of adequate broadband infrastructure to improve the quality of life and competitiveness of every resident, business, and organization in La Porte County.

Mission:

Ensure La Porte County plans for, transitions to, and prospers in the digital age through a transformation into a human-centered digitally-inclusive technology-ready ecosystem.

Documents and Presentations:

La Porte County Broadband Task Force Survey – 2022
Southern LaPorte County Coalition Meeting Powerpoint – September 20, 2021
LaPorte/NWI Indiana Fiber and Broadband Roundtable – September 14, 2021
Family Engagement Tool Kit DOE
Purdue Digital Inclusion Update – January 2021
Internet Providers
Public WiFi Spots

Deployment & Utilization Plan

News & Updates

Lt. Gov. Crouch, Indiana Broadband Office designates LaPorte County as a Broadband Ready Community

Speakers and Education Segments

Purdue West Lafayette Professor specializing in rural broadband deployment and digital divide and continued advisor on data collection and broadband mapping throughout rural Indiana. Dr. Gallardo continues to serve in an advisory role to our efforts communicating on a quarterly basis advising our overall visioning and approach.

Microsoft White Spaces technology for internet accessibility through vacated television wave spaces.

Discussion of the birth of a fiber network to promote and retain industry in St. Joseph county Indiana. 5 original investors simply pulled the trigger with the foresight to see well into the future has repaid it original investment 10 times over. It currently hosts 10 ISP and commercial customers alike on what is now ChoiceLight Inc.

A boutique consulting firm to assist communities and regions in streamlining a R.O.W access and revenue showing model that could potentially assist governments in leveraging vertical assets for development of 13 partnerships and ultimately generate enough revenue to build a private network.

Currently building out a 70 million dollar pipeline private network in North Carolina in a population of nearly 375,000 to deploy a 5-7 gigabit corporate network that can sustain the cyber security research interest of this department research locale. This is being conducted in direct partnership with Metronet of Evansville, Indiana.

Originally an electric Co-op deployed dark fiber to serve community residents with internet in many areas that could not access otherwise through the USDA grant program to serve agriculture communities across the United States

Broadband Preparedness designation through the state of Indiana and how to create a more ready for deployment community.

Met with Task Force members to show where existing long haul fiber lines exist and methods for the task force to tap into lines to deploy fiber throughout La Porte County.

Discussion of latest technology and how communities can become ready for fiber through surveying, maps, identifying all internet providers within and around the community as well as evaluation of prospective alternatives to fiber connections.

Get Connected La Porte County

Click here to view the PowerPoint presented at the Southern La Porte County Coalition Meeting on September 20, 2021 over the current state of broadband in La Porte County.

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