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Illinois State Broadband Office

Illinois State Broadband Office Overview

Illinois Broadband Grant Award Status

BEAD: $1.04 B

Illinois 5 Year Plan
Initial Proposal v1
Initial Proposal v2
4
Challenge Window
5
Application Window
6
Awards Announced

Treasury Capital Projects Fund: $253.7 M

Treasury Approved
2
Application Window
3
Awards Announced

Broadband Office Name:
Illinois Office of Broadband

Parent Department:
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity

Illinois Broadband Director

Matt Schmit

About Illinois Office of Broadband

The Connect Illinois program contains both short-term and long-term goals. In the short term, the plan calls for basic broadband access for homes, businesses, and community anchor institutions throughout the state at service levels of at least 25 Mbps x 3Mbps by 2024.

The program's long-term goal is access to at least one high-speed broadband provider of of 100 Mbps x 20 Mbps by 2028.

The Illinois Office of Broadband has a very extensive and thorough presence on YouTube with many Webinars explaining funding overviews, "broadband demand 101" types of explainers and coaching for broadband application development.

The state has been a leader in broadband development. It's been lucky to have had a champion in the form of Governor JB Prtizker. It also has a very dynamic and passionate broadband leader in the form of Matt Schmit, chair of the Illinois Broadband Advisory Council.

In fact, the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society honored Pritzker as its “Broadband Champion” in December 2021 for his mission of ensuring universal broadband access and his leadership in establishing the Connect Illinois program in 2019.

The program was among the first to establish a $400 million matching grant fund. It's administered by the Illinois Office of Broadband, which is housed within the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.

More info

Other Contacts

  • Tim Laffey, Grants Manager (217) 782-5968
  • Katie Stonewater, Senior Policy Advisor
  • Lori Sorenson, Chief Technology Officer Lori.sorenson@illinois.gov (217) 557-6534

Illinois Broadband Articles

Illinois Broadband Investment Maps

Illinois broadband investment map ready strength rank

Illinois Map of Ready Strength Rank

Illinois broadband investment map yield on cost

Illinois Yield on Cost Maps

Illinois broadband investment pricing and competition map

Illinois Pricing & Competition Map

Illinois broadband investment map business establishments

Illinois Map of Business Establishments in Underserved Areas

Illinois broadband investment map small business establishments

Illinois Small Business Establishments Map

Illinois broadband investment map REC coverage

Illinois Rural Electric Cooperative (REC) Coverage Map

Illinois broadband investment map anchor institutions

Illinois Map of Anchor Institutions

Illinois broadband investment map provider coverage

Illinois Provider Coverage Maps

Illinois broadband investment map BSLs

Map of Illinois Broadband Serviceable Locations