Illinois is setting the stage to use federal funding to provide broadband service statewide

(The Center Square) – Now that the National Telecommunications and Information Administration has approved Illinois’ proposal for the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program, implementation is underway.

The approval enables the state to request access to funding for the BEAD program.

Devon Braunstein, director of the Illinois Office of Broadband, said Illinois will be receiving just over $1 billion for the broadband rollout.

“So what the BEAD funds will do is offer the opportunity for internet service providers to build connections to every household and every location who do not have it so by the end of the program they will have at least one option they can subscribe to,” said Braunstein.

According to a 2019 American Community Survey, 1.4 million Illinois households do not subscribe to a high-speed internet service, and over 1.1 million households lack a desktop or laptop computer.

“Unserved” areas see download speeds of 25 megabits per second or less and upload speeds of 3 megabits per second or less. “Underserved” areas see download speeds of 100 megabits per second or less and upload speeds of 20 megabits per second or less.

“What we’re looking at is around 170,000 unserved and underserved locations that will be prioritized for that BEAD process,” said Braunstein.

In June 2020, the Illinois General Assembly directed the Illinois Broadband Advisory Council to study various questions related to broadband access and affordability, including cost estimates for universal broadband access where existing broadband infrastructure is insufficient.