Decatur County REMC signs Indiana BEAD contract worth $7.13M for fiber build
Decatur County REMC became one of the first organizations in Indiana to sign a federal BEAD contract, receiving $7,133,202 in BEAD funds matched by $6,534,465 in cooperative investment to build fiber-to-the-home service across Decatur, Ripley, Franklin, Jennings, Rush, and Bartholomew counties. NineStar Connect also signed a BEAD contract for infrastructure in Decatur, Rush, Shelby, Fayette, Hancock, Henry, and Madison counties. 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 as newly contracted Indiana BEAD subgrantees, plus other Indiana BEAD awardees who will follow the same execution and reporting obligations.
Contract execution triggers the 24-month construction clock and shifts both providers into active_deployment obligations including reimbursement-based disbursement, quarterly address and speed test reporting, Davis-Bacon wage compliance, Buy America requirements, and cybersecurity/SCRM equipment certifications. Both providers must now maintain letters of credit, cost-per-passing documentation, and continuous default risk monitoring for the full build period from August 2026 through the August 2027 completion target. Failure to meet the 24-month deployment window or maintain required financial and environmental documentation risks clawback, default proceedings, or forfeiture of BEAD funds.
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 →
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