Contractor gives up on fiber project

By Reilly Gaunt | The R epublic rgaunt@therepublic.com

After months of uncertainty, mStreet Fiber officially placed an indefinite stop on the fiber optic project in rural Bartholomew County. Network utility provider mStreet Fiber initially hired Trueline Infrastructure to complete the installation work, but Trueline went bankrupt in March of 2025. Congruex served as the replacement in November, but failed to fill the role as a full-time replacement.

During Monday’s Bartholomew County commissioners meeting, mStreet Fiber CEO Dave Brodin said that the company is still receiving bids for a new installation company, but none of the bids are near the correct price range. Due to rising labor and material costs alongside the money spent cleaning up previous work — no vendor has been able to meet the financial constraints of the project.

The county initially planned to invest $4 million of its federal American Rescue Plan (ARP) allocation once 85% of residents had access to fiber. These funds must be spent by the end of 2026 or returned to the federal government.

Back in March of 2025, Brodin said that he thought the 85% requirement could be met before the end of 2026. In Monday’s meeting, he allowed that only 20% of the county has fiber access and the 85% goal would be unreachable by the end of 2026.

Commissioner Tony London, R-District 3, said that since the 85% goal was never reached, this project “hasn’t cost the taxpayers a dime” and that he and the other commissioners are looking into different places to use that $4 million by the end of the year.

London asked Brodin what the commissioners could tell the county about the halted process when they have been promised internet soon.

“The only thing I can say is it was an unexpected occurrence,” Brodin responded.

All the commissioners, but especially London, showed great frustration with the lack of progress on the fiber optics project.

“(mStreet Fiber) have built out the city of Columbus. You’ve built out the city of Bloomington. You’ve built out Shelbyville. And the rural people keep getting the shaft,” London said.

Brodin apologized and said that mStreet are trying to find answers.

“We’re looking for options, but at the moment we just don’t have a solution right now,” he said.

London said that due to the lack of performance from mStreet, he and the other commissioners would approach the Bartholomew County Council about removing the tax abatement for mStreet Fiber.

While London was visibly and vocally frustrated about the setback, Commissioner Carl Lienhoop, R-District 2, likened the fiber and internet installations to when electricity came to the country in the Rural Electrification Act.

“They didn’t get the country electrified overnight,” Lienhoop said. “Patience in the 21st century is just not a good virtue anymore. People are just not as patient as they used to be.”

Both London and Lienhoop said that they are positive that Bartholomew County will get good internet in the future — just not as soon as initially planned.

Whether it’s working with the Bartholomew County REMC or finding a new provider/partner than mStreet Fiber, the commissioners said they are not giving up on the internet project.