Benton Evening News

SPRINGFIELD - An Illinois project has received federal support through a grant in the amount of $1.8 million from the US Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration to support a comprehensive broadband mapping and planning initiative. The funding will yield a highly detailed map showing areas throughout the state down to the street level where gaps in broadband coverage exist.

The Partnership for a Connected Illinois, the host organization for Connect Illinois, is a not-for-profit corporation that includes Southern Illinois University, Man-Tra-Con Corporation, and Connected Nation.

Connect Illinois was selected by the State of Illinois to help close the digital divide with the goal of increasing broadband Internet access throughout Illinois. The federal grant is comprised of $1.3 million for broadband data collection and mapping activities over a five-year period in Illinois. The award provided through NTIA’s State Broadband Data and Development Grant Program is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
The funding will be used to develop a highly interactive statewide map showing broadband Internet availability and the results of statewide research regarding adoption rates and barriers.

These tools will be invaluable in helping identify gaps in broadband Internet service, helping public and private sector entities and network providers understand what the barriers to Internet n are in the state, and providing new information to help in the development of a statewide broadband plan.

Ron Duncan is president of the board of directors of The Partnership for a Connected Illinois.

“A lot of very committed and talented people have worked extremely hard over the past 18 months to get to this point,” he said. “We are honored to have been chosen by Governor Quinn as the state’s designated entity and certainly by the confidence placed in us by NTIA.”


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