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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.
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