High-speed internet program to close digital divide in Illinois

(The Center Square) – A new program aims to close the digital divide in Illinois.

State officials are in the process of implementing the Broadband, Equity, Access and Deployment, or BEAD Program, a federal grant program that aims to get all Americans online by funding partnerships between states or territories, communities and stakeholders to build infrastructure where high-speed internet is currently unavailable.

It is estimated that 1.3 million households in Illinois do not have a subscription to high-speed internet.

Devon Braunstein, director of the Illinois Office of Broadband, said Illinois will be receiving a sizable portion of the $42 billion going out to states.

“Illinois was allocated $1.04 billion dollars to connect all unserved, underserved locations as well as community anchor institutions,” said Braunstein. “The primary use of these funds is to deploy broadband service and all the capital costs that come with deploying that service.”

The proposed low-cost broadband service option for BEAD-supported networks in Illinois includes costs of $30 per month or less, inclusive of all taxes and fees with no additional non-recurring costs to the consumer. The program will provide typical download speeds of at least 100 Mbps and upload speeds of at least 20 Mbps.

The Illinois Office of Broadband plans to use continued monitoring and public reporting to ensure that BEAD-funded internet connections are affordable for middle-class households around the state.

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.

It is unclear how long it will take to expand broadband access to rural areas of Illinois, but some estimations put the timeline at about 10 years.