Many "Broadband Moments" for Illinois in 2012

Roxana Ryan
Published: December 20, 2012

It’s been a big year for broadband in Illinois. Statewide initiatives challenged us to think innovatively about broadband access and expansion while new internet adoption programs targeted the 37 percent of Illinoisans who aren’t using broadband. Providers of broadband in Illinois continued to expand and update their infrastructure with newer, faster technologies that are reaching the schools, hospitals, and homes that need it the most. And yesterday, we received exciting news from the Federal Communications Commission. Our “Better Broadband, Better Lifeline” pilot program will bring $1.5 million to Illinois, providing reduced-cost internet service, training and more to 35 counties with low internet adoption rates. Read more here. 

Here are three of our “broadband moments” for 2012:

• Governor Pat Quinn’s Illinois Gigabit Communities Challenge gained national recognition for prompting fiber initiatives on a local level.  The challenge presented $6 million in funding to companies or private-public partnerships that proposed innovative ways to connect at least 1,000 end-users to gigabit-level broadband. The competition spurred more than 40 applications in Illinois and the first two winners have been selected. Gigabit Squared, in partnership with Cook County, the city of Chicago, and the University of Chicago, received $2 million deploy gigabit fiber and wireless to neighborhoods in Chicago’s South Side. OnLight Aurora will receive $1 million to help connect the city of Aurora’s fiber optic network to its education, business and healthcare communities and accelerate economic growth and job creation. Our regional eTeam leaders worked with twenty Gigabit Challenge applicants, helping connect private and public organizations with providers.  And in 2013, we look forward to working with each community that applied to the Gigabit Challenge.

• In 2012, we’ve collected data on broadband availability and speeds from more than 30 additional broadband providers, adding to our database of almost 200 providers from each corner of the state. We use broadband data to create consumer-friendly tools like the popular “Find and Request Broadband” feature, which allows potential customers to enter a street address and see all available broadband carriers and speeds in their area. Additionally, we’ve submitted two rounds of data to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, ensuring that Illinois had its place on the National Broadband Map. Want to learn more?  Check out our video to “Meet our GIS team!”

• In October, we announced awardees of the Illinois Broadband Innovation Fund.  The first-of-its-kind internet adoption and usage program will provide $500,000 in funding to 14 innovative broadband adoption projects from across the state. The response to the Innovation Fund was enormous- we received 113 proposals with plans to combine broadband usage with precision agriculture, telemedicine, distance learning, public safety, job creation, economic growth and eGovernment. Stay tuned to our Broadband Illinois website for updates and videos from Innovation Fund awardees.

There’s more: Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s Chicago Broadband Challenge to Governor Quinn’s Open Technology Challenge to gigabit fiber projects throughout the state… 

and stay tuned for more on the “Better Broadband, Better Lifeline” pilot project. It will kick off in early 2013 and has the promise of being a significant internet usage and adoption for Illinois.