A state-operated fiber network will soon link all Indiana pubcasters for the first time.
Indiana Public Broadcasting Stations (IPBS), a consortium of nine public stations, will piggyback on I-Light, the high-speed network for local, state, national and international research and educational institutions.
Roger Rhodes, IPBS executive director, said many stations will connect within the next month; others will come online as they complete their last-mile connection to the fiber backbone.
The connectivity will allow stations to share content in real time and help them explore consolidation of back-office functions. IPBS is also drawing up plans for a possible joint master control; five or six stations are “very interested” in that, Rhodes said.
The Lilly Endowment, the charitable arm of Indianapolis-based pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and Co., provided $750,000 to IPBS for the interconnection project, according to a list of 2012 grants.