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NEW! Q&A regarding State financial support

State Financial Support for ARRA Broadband Projects

As Chairman of the Illinois Broadband Deployment Council, I'm proud that so many broadband technology innovators, entrepreneurs and enthusiasts call Illinois home. This website aims to maximize the share of federal funding for broadband projects in Illinois. Please use it to ask questions, request assistance, and track our progress.

Because broadband technology improves jobs, education, health care and public safety in our communities, I'm so grateful to President Obama and our Congress for creating an opportunity for Illinois to seize. We have a rare chance, thanks to ARRA's $7.2 billion in competitive broadband grants and loans, to ensure every rural, underserved and unserved community in our state is connected to world-class information and communication infrastructure.

We're going to work together so that no home, business, school, or hospital in our state is left behind. I look forward to hearing about your projects, and supporting your efforts to position Illinois as the epicenter of America's broadband revival.

Sincerely,

Governor Pat Quinn

HB2424, Senate Amendment #1 (Public Act 096-0037)

Section 70-5. Findings. The General Assembly finds that parts of Illinois lack access to high-speed information and communication (broadband) networks. Such networks impact access to jobs, education, health care, public safety and quality of life in Illinois. The 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) represents an unprecedented federal investment in core infrastructure, including over $7 billion in competitive grants and loans available through the United States Departments of Agriculture and Commerce for core broadband infrastructure. It is the policy of Illinois to secure every viable stimulus project from undue delays, especially those awarded competitively, tied to deadlines, and connected to core infrastructure. Encouraging network development will help Illinois' public and private entities compete for and manage broadband infrastructure projects.

Section 70-15. The Illinois Highway Code is amended by adding Section 9-131 as follows:

(605 ILCS 5/9-131 new)

Sec. 9-131. Installation of fiber-optic network conduit.

(a) For purposes of this Section: "Fiber-optic network conduit" means a pipe or duct used to enclose fiber-optic cable facilities buried alongside the roadway or surface mounted on bridges, overpasses, and other facilities where below ground placement is impossible or impractical.

(b) In order to ensure affordable high-speed, world-class core information and communication networks are available throughout Illinois, the Illinois Department of Transportation and the Department of Central Management Services shall collaborate to install fiber-optic network conduit where it does not already exist in every new State-funded construction project that opens, bores, or trenches alongside a State-owned infrastructure, including, but not limited to, roadways and bridges. The Department of Central Management Services or the Department of Transportation may permit a third party to manage the fiber and conduit leasing. The Department of Central Management Services and the Department of Transportation shall take reasonable steps to ensure market-based, non-discriminatory pricing. Public bidding notices for such projects must describe the need for fiber-optic conduit or cable. The Department of Transportation shall report annually to the Governor and the General Assembly on the progress and any associated costs incurred by this Section. This Section does not prohibit the State from purchasing or installing fiber-optic cable within the fiber-optic network conduit.

SB1221 (Public Act 096-0039)

$50,000,000 for grants and loans including but not limited to broadband deployment to expand and strengthen existing broadband network infrastructure, health information technology, telemedicine, distance learning, and public safety.