Newsletter: ConnectED Announced, Taylorville Fiber To The Home, More

Published: June 12, 2013

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President Obama Unveils ConnectED Initiative to Bring America’s Students into Digital Age

President Obama today unveiled a bold, new initiative called ConnectED to connect 99 percent of America’s students to the internet through high-speed broadband and high-speed wireless within 5 years, calling on the FCC to modernize and leverage its existing E-Rate program to meet that goal. The President also directed the federal government to make better use of existing funds to get Internet connectivity and educational technology into classrooms, and into the hands of teachers trained on its advantages. 

And he called on businesses, states, districts, schools and communities to support this vision. This ambitious initiative does not require Congressional action. “We are living in a digital age, and to help our students get ahead, we must make sure they have access to cutting-edge technology,” said President Obama. “So today, I’m issuing a new challenge for America – one that families, businesses, school districts and the federal government can rally around together – to connect virtually every student in America’s classrooms to high-speed broadband internet within five years, and equip them with the tools to make the most of it.”

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Inaugural Broadband Telemedicine Summit Convenes Top Healthcare Technology Authorities
 

Summit 1Broadband Illinois convened the inaugural Broadband Telemedicine Summit on Monday, May 20, bringing together healthcare leaders, government officials and broadband enthusiasts from three states to discuss how high-speed internet is revolutionizing the medical industry. 

The event attracted about 200 people and concluded with an action planning session led by the Telehealth Resource Centers serving Illinois, Missouri and Arkansas. This session identified potential telehealth solutions for targeted needs and developed specific action steps for each segment, including inpatient, outpatient, mental health and home telehealth.

Telemedicine equipment and software also was demonstrated, as Matt Wenzel, CEO of Hedrick Medical Center (left, standing), and Tim Hulen, sales director of InTouch Health (center), showed how doctors can examine patients and interact with other medical staff in real-time through high-speed internet technology.

The event not only impacted the telehealth community by connecting top professionals with stakeholders and broadband experts, but attendees left the event with set goals and action plans to further the quality and availability of telemedicine in their perspective fields.

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Construction on Fiber to the Home Network in Taylorville to Begin Later This Month

TaylorvilleInstallation of a fiber to the home network with some of the highest capable speeds in the nation will begin later this month in Taylorville.

Computer Techniques, Inc. recently announced the project, making Taylorville one of the first communities with fiber to the home service in the state. It’s expected to take nearly three years to hook up the entire city, with the first phase extending to homes north of the CTI offices.

The network is expected to be capable of speeds up to 2.5 Gigabits/second.

Adam Vocks, vice president of CTI, and Billy Williams, president, grew up together in Taylorville, a town of approximately 11,000 people just southeast of Springfield. They started CTI in 1998.

“We want to help Taylorville grow,” Vocks said. “Our business plan is to build internet, build technology, in Taylorville. We hope that this will allow Taylorville to attract other businesses… and put Taylorville on the map.”

The network will be unique to many other fiber optic networks in that it will be a true fiber to the home service.

“Compared to other services that bring fiber to the curb or to the node, they bring it close to the subscribers, but not all the way to the subscribers, “ Williams said. “That’s where our service will be different… The last mile is the hardest part for people to deliver.”

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Warren County Virtual Museum to Merge History, Technology, Community

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Technology, history and education will converge in Monmouth with the creation of the Warren County Virtual Museum, powered by an open-source web application.

“I’ve always been interested in telling a community story as a way to educate and grow civil literacy,” said Paul Schuytema, the director of community development in Monmouth.

Broadband Illinois awarded the city $10,000 for the project as part of the Illinois Broadband Innovation Fund, a program to help support 14 high-speed internet related projects across the state.

When completed, the virtual museum will house content provided by historians, students, veterans and any history-minded citizen with a story to share.

“Part of it is technology development,” Schuytema said. “That’s what we’re working on right now. The rest of it is gathering together a core of volunteers from different groups. We can have (citizens and students) come in and create their own exhibits, while they’re in the process of gathering their stories and putting it together in a context. This way, they’re becoming engaged with the history of their own region.”

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Broadband Extras and Upcoming Events
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The Partnership for a Connected Illinois, Inc. (PCI), is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Springfield, Illinois. Its missions are to ensure broadband access throughout the State of Illinois, maximize broadband’s impact and use, and collect and publish broadband-related data, information, and research.
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Partnership for a Connected Illinois 1337 Wabash Ave. Springfield, IL 62704 Phone: (217) 886-4228 Fax: (217) 718-4546 info@broadbandillinois.org