Boone County

Boone County, situated just east of Rockford, created a broadband plan that puts its community priorities for broadband service at the forefront. The Boone County team—consisting of representatives from 13 different regional, county, and city organizations—set its vision as "Fast, reliable, and affordable internet connectivity for every resident in Boone County."

To achieve this vision, the team engaged in community meetings to develop a list of criteria that will guide discussions with internet service providers (ISPs). For an ISP to receive community support for a BEAD application, it must meet specific standards for speed, affordability, and customer service and support outlined in the plan.

Boone County Team’s community support priorities to evaluate potential ISP partners

Johnson County

Johnson County's Broadband Breakthrough team consisted of 16 members, led by Mitch McClellan and Jody Johnson. The team envisions supporting numerous BEAD applications within the county and has strategies to be the best partner possible to ISPs who apply for funding.

Fifty-eight percent of survey respondents who have vertical assets to host broadband deployment equipment on their properties reported their willingness to host equipment that might be used while deploying broadband networks. In addition, the team plans to encourage local municipalities, utilities, and holders of rights-of-way to be proactive in cooperating with ISPs who are building in the area.

Lawrence County

The Lawrence County Broadband Development team's mission statement is "Empowering connectivity for all: bridging the digital divide in Lawrence County." The need for increased broadband access in agricultural areas is particularly important for Lawrence County as agriculture is a big driver of the county’s economy.

The team is aware that providers who received RDOF awards in the county have yet to start building networks. RDOF awards make locations ineligible for BEAD funding. Despite this, the Lawrence County team continues to be proactive in its outreach to providers. The team is aware that it might need to seek other funding sources to meet its goal of closing the digital divide.

Lee County

The Lee County Broadband Breakthrough Team has a clear vision (stated in this plan) of what it expects from service provider partners. The team of 11 members, led by Jeremy Englund, has a vision that "Lee County will be a leader in broadband accessibility, bridging the digital divide, and ensuring every corner of [the] county has access to fast, reliable, and affordable internet."

To make the vision a reality, the team sent out a Request for Information (RFI) to eight regional ISPs. Evaluation of RFI responses will help the Lee County team be confident in its selection of which applications to support for BEAD funding.

Lee County working to bring broadband Internet access to residents in even the most rural of cities (WREX, Feb 27, 2024)

Massac County

The Massac County team, sporting a membership of 18 community leaders, has a vision "to bring fast, reliable, and affordable internet to every home, farm, and business in Massac County."

Through an extensive outreach effort, Massac County's survey received 715 responses, representing 5.2 percent of Massic’s population. The survey included 143 comments expressing displeasure with the current state of broadband in the county. Seventy-one percent of respondents report being unserved and underserved by adequate broadband speeds and 41 percent of the 417 farms in Massac reported no fixed internet at all.

The team's first priority is to hold a 1-2 day convening of regional ISPs to receive information on their willingness to apply for BEAD funding. Once ISPs identify which areas of the county they would like to build in, the county will create a large-scale digital map. Massac also discussed hiring an easement enforcement officer to facilitate deployment efforts.

Connect Massac working toward better broadband accessibility (Metropolis Planet, Apr 18, 2024

Vermilion County

The Vermilion County Broadband Breakthrough team is led by Mike Marron of Vermilion Advantage, and bolstered by six other members representing the Farm Bureau, county emergency services, Danville Area Community College, and the regional office of education.

By analyzing the maps provided by the Illinois Broadband Lab and community survey responses, the Vermilion County team determined that its best path forward is to fund a feasibility study for the county. In addition to providing support to BEAD applicants, the county team is looking to other strategies including seed funding for local ISPs, digital equity grants to support small businesses, and having the Danville Public Building Commission use its bonding authority to build a middle-mile fiber ring for the City of Danville to encourage last-mile access.

Farm Bureau Works with Coalition to Expand Broadband Internet (Vermilion County Farm Bureau, Apr 15, 2024)