Planning for a ‘Broadband Breakthrough’ – Rural Illinois Counties Prepare for ‘Once-in-a-Generation’ Funding Opportunity

zwalker@benton.org — Wed, 31 Jan 2024 23:48:34 +0000

Peggy Braffet and her husband think about broadband a lot. When guests show up to their pick-your-own berry farm, they sometimes expect to be able to pay with credit cards, but the Braffets' slow internet connection won't allow it. The Braffet’s frustration, compounded by the fact that neighbors just a half-mile away have fast internet, reflects that of many rural Illinois residents. An influx of federal dollars included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 may offer a path forward, and some Illinois county and business leaders are readying themselves for investment with a new program from the Benton Institute for Broadband and Society. Within Illinois, internet service providers, called ISPs, will submit applications to help pay for the construction of new internet lines. Counties that went through the Broadband Breakthrough program created plans that outlined how they’d target infrastructure money, giving the counties and their chosen ISP partners an advantage in the application process, said Adrianne B. Furniss, the Benton Institute’s executive director. In Hancock County, at least two internet service providers have already applied for and will continue to apply for broadband expansion grants as the federal dollars become available, said Samantha Harnack, executive director of Hancock County Economic Development. Those relationships, and having a concrete plan in place for expansion, are key to being approved, she said. “The state is 100% not going to give anyone a grant that doesn’t have their ducks in a row,” Harnack said. “The federal government, same thing.”

Benton Content:

https://dailyyonder.com/planning-for-a-broadband-breakthrough-rural-illinois-cou…

Teaser:

A project in Illinois is designed to help some rural counties take their best shot at winning their fair share of broadband funding

Source:

Daily Yonder

Author:

Will Wright

Send date:

Thu, 02/01/2024

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 1/31/2024

DD Publish Status:

Not Available

Include summary in newsletter email:

Publish Date:

Wed, 01/31/2024

Coverage Type:

Reporting

Digital Equity/Digital Inclusion

Digital Divide

Federal Agency

National Telecommunications and Information Administration

Federal Broadband Programs

Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program

Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

Level of Government

Federal

State

Marginalized Populations

Individuals who primarily Reside in a Rural Area

Headlines Specific Topic:

Benton Foundation

How Much Money Can Broadband Bring a Rural Community? By Some Estimates, Millions.

zwalker@benton.org — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 20:54:04 +0000

As the federal government distributes $42.5 billion to expand broadband internet access across America and its territories, some local leaders are asking themselves: How much economic impact could faster internet create? A report by the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society estimates that, across 15 agricultural counties in Illinois, faster internet speeds could boost production of corn and soybeans by over $100 million annually. The report argues that faster internet will allow farmers to more precisely plant, fertilize and harvest crops — a method called “precision agriculture.” A tool included in the report provides estimates of increased corn and soybean revenue in each of the 15 counties. Bryan Stevens, a corn and soybean farmer and board president of the Hancock County Farm Bureau, who participated in the Broadband Breakthrough program, said he sees increased broadband access as a serious factor for farmers’ pocketbooks. “I can see how they can come up with these numbers based on efficiency,” Stevens said. “The less time I waste in the spring or in the fall … the better off I am.”