Decatur County REMC and NineStar Connect sign Indiana BEAD contracts
Decatur County REMC became one of the first Indiana organizations to sign a federal BEAD contract, receiving $7,133,202 in funding matched by $6,534,465 in cooperative investment to build fiber-to-the-home service across six counties. NineStar Connect also signed a BEAD contract to deploy infrastructure in seven additional counties, with construction on DCREMC's project starting in August and full completion expected by August 2027.
Providers named: Decatur County REMC, NineStar Connect
Award amount: $7.1M
What this means for BEAD compliance
Decatur County REMC and NineStar Connect, the two Indiana cooperatives that just executed BEAD grant agreements covering thirteen counties of fiber-to-the-home deployment.
Execution of these contracts triggers the active_deployment compliance regime: the 24-month build clock starts, reimbursement-based disbursement mechanics apply (funds released against verified expenditures, not upfront), and both cooperatives must now demonstrate fiber-prioritized network design meeting minimum speed thresholds. NEPA and related environmental review documentation must be finalized or actively tracked before construction crews mobilize in August, since environmental review completion is a critical pre-construction gate. Both entities should also expect quarterly reporting obligations (address updates, cost-per-passing, financial status) and Davis-Bacon labor compliance to begin accruing immediately as construction ramps up.
Analysis by BeadComply Compliance Intelligence, grounded in the BEAD requirements registry.
Won a BEAD award in Indiana? See Indiana's program status and compliance requirements →
Related news
HawaiiHawaiian Telcom finalizes $34M BEAD contract to connect 5,800 Hawaii homesIndianaPaulding Putnam receives $13.1M Indiana BEAD contract for fiber buildoutHawaiiHawaii finalizes $34M BEAD contract with Hawaiian Telcom for 5,800 homesHawaiiHawai'i finalizes $34M BEAD contract with Hawaiian Telcom for fiber deploymentGet BEAD news like this in your inbox