Decatur County REMC signs Indiana BEAD contract for $7.13M fiber build
Decatur County REMC became one of the first organizations in Indiana to sign a federal BEAD contract, securing $7,133,202 in BEAD funds 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 counties, though its funding amount was not disclosed. Construction is set to begin in August 2026 with 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 BEAD subgrantees that just executed contracts to build fiber-to-the-home networks across six and seven counties respectively.
Execution of the BEAD subgrant agreements triggers active_deployment obligations for both providers, including the 24-month construction completion clock, mandatory NEPA environmental review and permitting prior to construction, Davis-Bacon prevailing wage compliance for all labor on the build, and enrollment in Indiana's reimbursement-based disbursement process requiring cost-per-passing documentation before funds are drawn. With construction slated to begin August 2026, both providers need environmental clearances, procurement controls (full and open competition, contractor oversight, bonding), and quarterly reporting infrastructure (address updates, speed tests, financial status) in place well before groundbreaking to avoid disbursement delays or default risk flags.
Analysis by BeadComply Compliance Intelligence, grounded in the BEAD requirements registry.
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