Sec. 9. (a) The office shall adopt guidelines to implement this chapter, including guidelines governing:

(1) the form and content of requests to provide qualified broadband service to an unserved area;

(2) the form and content of applications for grants under this chapter;

(3) a competitive bidding process or a process for requests for proposals for qualified broadband projects;

(4) a process by which a broadband provider may challenge the designation of an area as unserved; and

(5) a process by which:

(A) a person may, in a petition filed with the office, provide evidence that one (1) or more locations within one (1) or more census blocks are unserved areas; and

(B) upon the filing of a petition described in clause (A):

(i) the office notifies all broadband providers operating in all census blocks included in the petition; and

(ii) those broadband providers have the opportunity to demonstrate to the office that the locations included in the petition are already served with qualified broadband service or will be served with qualified broadband service not later than eighteen (18) months after the date of the application for a grant under this chapter.

(b) In adopting the guidelines described in subsection (a) or in otherwise administering this chapter, the office may collaborate with or seek guidance from:

(1) the Indiana economic development corporation established by IC 5-28-3-1;

(2) the broadband ready communities development center established by IC 5-28-28.5-5;

(3) the Indiana department of transportation established by IC 8-23-2-1; and

(4) any other agencies of the state or of political subdivisions of the state.

As added by P.L.177-2018, SEC.5.