The Infrastructure of Trust
Women and the Digital Foundations of Community Life
This month, we pause to honor the women who have long held Indiana’s communities together. Often without credit, they’ve built the everyday networks that make neighborhoods work. They run PTA meetings, public health clinics, housing teams, nonprofits, and small businesses alike.
They are the originals architects and engineers of trust. They are the builders of community in all its iterations. So it comes as no surprise that women are wiring the future and developing digital networks of community life in Bloomington, Columbus, and Shelbyville.
Networks of trust matter. Especially in uncertain times. This year has already brought program shifts, funding turbulence, and more than a few “we’ll get back to you” moments across sectors. Communities need relationships that are collaborative, reciprocal, and rooted in local agency, placing power and opportunity in the hands of those most invested in their neighborhoods: residents, trusted servants, and the anchor institutions closest to them.
These are also the foundational principles that brought mStreet Fiber’s open-access networks to Indiana. An open-access network removes locked gates, widens participation, and ensures that both current and future internet service providers can serve Indiana communities equitably.
We honor Women’s History Month by honoring our shared commitment to mStreet’s long-term sustainability vision, Meridiam’s promise of inclusive infrastructure and UN Sustainable Development Goals, by building broadband and community networks that support stable returns, shared prosperity, and lasting trust.
March Data Snapshot
Across Indiana, neighborhoods with higher housing stress, limited transit, and lower median incomes are disproportionately more likely to lack reliable high-speed broadband and the skills it empowers. That digital divide shows up everywhere:
Missed telehealth appointments, resulting in a lack of continuity of care, increased costs, and poorer health outcomes
Residents unable to complete online rental applications or navigate online billing, resulting in property managers dealing with avoidable administrative bottlenecks
Workers unable to complete job onboarding, required trainings, and unable to take advantage of remote work opportunities
For both private and nonprofit, this isn’t just an internet problem.
It’s a property stability problem. A health access problem. A retention and turnover problem.
Access to affordable, reliable fiber broadband is a social determinant of opportunity.
Affordable Fiber Internet
In partnership with GigabitNow, we offer a high-quality, low-cost option for income-eligible customers.
Do you work with clients who struggle to get connected due to availability in their apartment communities?
Multi-dwelling properties require management approval before new services can be installed.
mStreet Fiber partners directly with property management to make the network installation work for them and to be able to offer fiber internet availability to their residents.
If you know of a community where residents could benefit, please feel free to share our contact information. We’re here to help!
Contact Dustin Neighbors, Multi Dwelling Unit Coordinator for mStreetFiber:
📧 [email protected]
📞 812-671-3547
Eligibility:
SNAP, SSI/OASDI, Medicaid, Veterans Pension or Survivor Benefits, Free/Reduced Lunch, WIC, TANF, Section 8/Housing Choice Voucher
Partner Spotlight:
Women Leading Digital Belonging
Ody Ekwonwa, Purdue Extension Health and Human Sciences Educator, teaching “Online Shopping Safety” at the Banneker Community Center in Bloomington, Indiana.
Bridging the Digital Divide: An mStreet Fiber and Purdue Extension Collaboration
Purdue Extension Monroe County and mStreet Fiber Indiana are partnering to deploy a mobile classroom dedicated to providing digital literacy programs for older adults in Monroe County, allowing classes to be offered in various locations without existing computer access.
Through this initiative, participants will receive hands-on technology training using Senior Planet, a nationally recognized digital education program powered by AARP. Designed for adults age 60 and older, the program features interactive sessions that build confidence and practical skills for navigating today’s digital landscape. Participants will learn skills such as using the internet, communicating with loved ones through platforms like Zoom, and accessing essential online resources.
Purdue Extension Monroe County is currently partnering with Cambridge Square to provide these workshops to residents who will soon transition to online service portals. With many residents having limited digital experience, this programming comes at the “perfect timing,” according to Kristine Sills, Service Coordinator for Cambridge Square, helping ensure a smoother transition. Senior Planet programming is set to be taught at the property on March 31st starting with a lesson regarding the use of Gmail.
“We are excited to welcome Purdue Extension to the Senior Planet licensing program. Each new partner not only expands our national reach but empowers local seniors to confidently navigate the digital world, providing access to skills that open doors to endless possibilities,” said Kristina Demery, Director of the Senior Planet licensing program.
This effort is part of a broader statewide Purdue Extension initiative to expand digital education and address Indiana’s digital inequities. Gina Avila, Community Development Educator in Porter County and Senior Planet Administrator for Purdue Extension, is also offering Senior Planet workshops through her own mobile classroom at the Porter County Public Library and Porter County Aging and Community Services; her goal focuses on reducing barriers and increasing equitable access to technology across communities.
This is a collaborative effort of Purdue Extension to strengthen digital skills, helping make internet resources more accessible and improving quality of life for Hoosiers of all ages. Support from mStreet Fiber is instrumental in expanding these opportunities for older adults and demonstrates their meaningful investment in bridging the digital divide and strengthening our communities.
Local Digital Opportunity Resources
Welcome our newest addition to the Digital Equity Community Partnership Program, Foundation Giving Hope, Inc in Columbus, Indiana! Volunteers at FGH compassionately assist people of all ages and offer services in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole. Their “Taller de Computacion” is now offered every Wednesday to senior citizens!
National Digital Opportunity Resources
DigitalLIFT is a 501c3 based in San Francisco that partners with hundreds of nonprofit and government agencies across the country providing both direct services and capacity building. mStreet Fiber Indiana is proud to share that we are now digitalLIFT affiliates!
Get in touch with mStreet Fiber!
Community Partnership Program: support for digital access, adoption, devices, skills, literacy, and inclusion initiatives
Digital Equity 101 Workshops for non-profit partners
Consultation for community working groups seeking to incorporate digital equity
Connections to local, state, and regional digital resources
Information re: bringing fiber broadband services to homes or businesses
Contact: Katie Hopkins, Digital Equity Manager, [email protected]
