LaSalle County event highlights iFiber network
Kathy Siebrasse, iFiber
Published: October 17, 2014
PHOTO CUTLINE: Speakers at the iFiber event Oct. 16, included from left: Jerry Hicks, LaSalle County Board Chairman; Ellen McCurdy, Senior Policy Advisor for Illinois DCEO; John Lewis, iFiber Executive Director; State Rep. Frank Mautino; Glenn Trommels, iFiber Board Chairman/CIO, City of Rockford; and Dr. Jerry Corcoran, IVCC President.
Illinois Fiber Resources Group (iFiber) partners were joined by legislators, state officials, local mayors, community anchor institutions (CAIs) and others at a press event recognizing completion of the grant portion of the BTOP-funded high-speed broadband project, serving nine northwest counties of Illinois. The event was Oct. 16, at Illinois Valley Community College, Oglesby.
iFiber is a provider of extremely high-speed (up to 10 Gpbs) network transport services to both the public and private sector. It is providing subsidized access directly to eligible CAIs—public sector organizations—including schools, community colleges, libraries, healthcare facilities, municipalities, county and public safety facilities. The grant construction project was completed by Dec. 31, 2013, meeting requirements of the NTIA Broadband Technology Opportunity Program.
"We are proud of the accomplishment of building this 900-mile broadband network," said John L. Lewis, iFiber Executive Director. “It would have not have been possible without support of state, federal and local partners. The State of Illinois provided $14 million in matching funds thanks to the legislature and Governor.
"The entire team has worked diligently to be good stewards of the grant funds. iFiber has built an exceptional regional broadband network and will continue to maintain it as we expand it. Throughout the project, we worked hard to maximize the quality of the network while staying within the parameters of the grant," said Lewis.
Other speakers at the Oct. 16 event included Glenn Trommels, iFiber Board Chairman and CIO for the City of Rockford; Ellen McCurdy, Senior Policy Advisor for the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity; State Rep. Frank Mautino; Jerry Hicks, LaSalle County Board Chairman; and Dr. Jerry Corcoran, IVCC President. A letter from State Sen. Sue Rezin was read. Individual comments are highlighted below.
"Going forward, an important part of the ongoing iFiber project will be the process of identifying CAIs that were not part of the initial grant project that would like to participate. We are exploring those opportunities," Lewis said.
In September 2010, Northern Illinois University (NIU) as the fiscal agent, received a $68.5 million NTIA Broadband Technology Opportunity Program grant to deploy the 900-mile iFiber network across the northwest Illinois region. Counties included are Boone, Carroll, JoDaviess, LaSalle, Lee, Ogle, Stephenson, Whiteside and Winnebago.
iFiber partners include Blackhawk Hills Regional Council, North Central Illinois Council of Governments, LaSalle County, Boone County, City of Rockford and NIU. For more information about the iFiber project, visit www.ifiber.org.
COMMENTS FROM SPEAKERS OCT. 16:
Glenn Trommels, iFiber Board Chairman and City of Rockford: Special thank you to iFiber Board members and the founding member organizations they represent: Jerry Hicks, LaSalle County Board; Nora Fesco, North Central Illinois Council of Governments; Bill Tonne, Black Hawk Hills Regional Council; Sam Newton, Stephenson County Board; Ken Terrinoini, Boone County; Herb Kuryliw and Dianna Robinson, Northern Illinois University. These organizations supported the iFiber project for a number of reasons, including the ability to provide increased bandwidth and telecommunications capacity to enable government entities to collaborate. The project has increased the ability of our schools to leverage information technology to increase the quality of the educational experience of students; and has provided infrastructure for increased economic development in the region. We are making strides on all of these fronts. Thank you for joining iFiber as we celebrate our success and achieve our goals.
Ellen McCurdy, Senior Policy Advisor for Illinois DCEO: Illinois is a leader in broadband availability. Illinois is investing in additional broadband infrastructure as a key investment in growing Illinois jobs, fostering innovation and keeping the state competitive nationally. The state has invested $100 million over 55 counties as part of a 4-year plan to install more than 1,000 miles of new high-speed fiber optic broadband infrastructure. The project has created over 700 jobs. The goal is broadband everywhere; hence Gov. Quinn’s off-stated message: “Everyone in, no one out.” It is always a pleasure to see projects like this come to fruition and serve the population. Congratulations on behalf of Gov. Pat Quinn and DCEO Director Adam Pollet.
Rep. Frank Mautino (D-Spring Valley): iFiber is a tremendous asset for the north-central portion of Illinois and for us specifically in the Illinois Valley. The project has allowed tremendous advances in IT, and opens and expands opportunities for generations to come. This is the next step in innovation, strength and growth. It will help all of the counties and municipalities to serve constituents and position us for the future. Thank you to everyone who made this possible, and especially to Reed Wilson, economic development director for the City of Ottawa, who was an early proponent and organizer of the project’s collaboration with NIU, NCICG, LaSalle County and others.
Letter from Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Morris): Today we mark a true milestone for this area, the completion of a state-of-the-art fiber optic network to finally bring fast, reliable Internet to residents of nine counties. One of the best elements of the iFiber network is that it is now providing faster service than most of us can actually use today, meaning this system will ensure that thousands of businesses and homes will have access to speeds they will need in the future as our bandwidth needs continue to grow. This is truly a project that will serve us for years to come. It is amazing that all this could be accomplished through a large partnership between public and private entities.
Jerry Hicks, LaSalle County Board Chairman: In 2011, our county board made the commitment to iFiber and took the initiative of committing $100,000 toward the project. Broadband is on same path as the federal government’s Rural Electrification Act in the 1930s. Broadband means access to the Internet which is crucial for businesses and residents to pursue to technology. Everything is moving online. Consider these statistics: About 80% of Fortune 500 companies accept job applications only online. For the next decade 8% of the jobs will require digital literacy skills. Students with broadband access at home graduate at a rate of 6-8% higher than students without access. Revenues of small businesses with broadband access are, on average, $200,000 higher than those without broadband. Counties with broadband access are more successful producers of jobs and economic success than the ones without the access.
Dr. Jerry Corcoran, IVCC President: Our district is very rural – 2,000-square-miles, all or parts of eight counties. We are the only postsecondary education institution within a 50-mile radius of Oglesby. It’s important to reflect upon not only the two counties in IVCC’s district that were immediately impacted by the iFiber network, LaSalle and Lee, but the opportunities that are now in place for expanding our college’s presence into the district’s other six counties of Bureau, Putnam, Grundy, DeKalb, Livingston and Marshall. Further, the doors are now open for enhanced collaboration with the 1,900 students from the 22 high schools that make up our district. Our overarching goal is to help students achieve their academic and career goals by connecting at an early stage with IVCC. There was a time when we spoke of K-12 or K-16; now it’s becoming K-Life. Thank you for the role you have played in transforming our campus into a first-class teaching and learning institution by allowing our faculty, staff and students to make the most effective use of technology today. Every day at IVCC we embrace technology. Faculty take advantage of video and other online tools and content to transform the learning experience. Students use their smart phones to register for classes, check grades, and communicate with faculty and counselors. Everyone uses high-end videoconferencing equipment to hold meetings. But to support all of this innovation, the college needs bandwidth, and plenty of it. In January 2015, we’ll begin working on our cyber café and enhanced student life space, as well as support for our EMS and forensics program students. Thank you very much for the role each of you has played in helping us carry out the mission of IVCC.
###
Contact: Kathy Siebrasse, iFiber, (815) 901-4161 or ksiebrasse@niu.edu for more details