The map shows Nextlink’s RDOF awards in Pulaski County in blue. This will complement existing investments from other providers serving residents in other areas of the county.

Since May, following the Broadband Ready Celebration that brought Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch to Winamac, the local Broadband Council and Task Force has been working to further public attention and efforts to achieve its mission “to bring high speed internet to every acre of Pulaski County.”

Harnish spoke at the celebration in May, and along with other providers, has met with the Broadband Council and Task Force since then.

Nextlink will also seek further funding from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program and the State of Indiana Next Level Grant program to further the future advancement of the network. Nextlink hopes to partner with Pulaski County, other Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and its residents in these future programs to bring about digital equity countywide. 

Harnish stated, “As an Indiana resident myself, I have thoroughly enjoyed my conversations with the Pulaski County Broadband Task Force members. This leadership is energetic and working hard to bring solid broadband choices to rural residents of the county. I am looking forward to working with others as we hopefully begin construction of our awarded areas in 2023. I wish every county I work with was as outgoing as Pulaski County has been.”

Harnish provided a map showing Nextlink’s RDOF award areas in Pulaski County. Nextlink expects to serve the areas in the map (shown in blue) and even the areas not highlighted in blue in the general service area. Nextlink is also open to possibly serving any other non-served areas of the county that are not planned to be served by neighboring ISPs.

Kurt Dickey, chair of the Pulaski County Broadband Council, believes this is a terrific step toward the goal, but that there is more work to be done. “Right now, there is a Jan. 13 deadline we need county residents to help us with. We need folks who have never taken the Indiana Farm Bureau Speed Test before – or if they haven’t taken it in the last few months – to take it now!”

Dickey went on to say, “In addition, the FCC has recently come out with a new map and they’re asking the public to ensure it is accurate. Anyone who needs better service needs to ensure they are accurately reported on the FCC map. If it’s not accurate, the information needs to be challenged by Jan. 13. This reporting of inaccurate information will enable the state to receive more funding for these locations.”

The Speed Test can be found at infb.org/speedtest and the FCC Map Challenge can be found at broadbandmap.fcc.gov. Local libraries are willing to assist residents who need help to participate in the online tests for the good of Pulaski County.

Broadband is one of four areas of focus in the Community Foundation of Pulaski County’s Aspirations in Action initiative. A grant from Lilly Endowment launched a community leadership initiative in 2020 that has developed into four areas of aspiration to create a thriving and growing community. The four areas include broadband, housing, downtown development, and recreation.

Nextlink Internet was founded in 2012 in Hudson Oaks, Texas and serves over 90,000 subscribers across Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois and South Dakota. Their hybrid approach of fiber and wireless assets enables rapid speed to deployment of advanced internet speeds. They are expanding to five more states in 2023, including Indiana and Pulaski County.

Find step-by-step instructions for taking the FCC Map Challenge and more about the Aspirations in Action initiatives on the Community Foundation website at www.cfopc.org; telephone 574.946.0906 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..