New report from the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society offers close look at how five Illinois counties used a community engagement and broadband planning program to pursue improved broadband access 

With tens of billions of dollars in federal infrastructure funds funneling into state budgets, rural farming communities must act now to pursue a better broadband future. 

These vital communities can find a planning roadmap to pursue this once-in-a-generation opportunity for broadband funding in a new report, Broadband Breakthrough: Infrastructure Planning Tools for Rural Farming Communities, published by the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society with support from the United Soybean Board (USB).

The report offers a close look at the journey of five Illinois counties that enrolled in Broadband Breakthrough, a new engagement and planning program created by the Benton Institute to demonstrate the value of high-performance broadband and the tools and resources communities need to plan for better connectivity. 

The Broadband Breakthrough program focuses on rural farming communities because access to high-performance broadband is a necessary tool for rural communities to deploy technologies like precision agriculture that make farms more productive and help rural communities thrive.

According to the United Soybean Board’s 2023 strategic plan, lack of high-performance broadband hinders “the ability of farmers to connect to markets, information, and each other.”

“The goal of Broadband Breakthrough and this report is to help other rural farming communities understand the value of improved broadband access—and the resources, tools, and work required to get better broadband and chart a path for smart farming,” said the report’s author, Ann Treacy. “Those who do not prepare and encourage investment in their communities will be in danger of continuing to watch fiber pass them by and resources go to other communities.”

Over 16 weeks, the five Illinois counties—Edgar, Hancock, McLean, Ogle, and Schuyler—used broadband maps from the Illinois Office of Broadband, surveys and speed tests administered by University of Illinois Extension, and new open-source tools from researchers at Illinois State University to understand their broadband needs, assets, and options.  

The participants became community broadband champions as they attended weekly sessions that were part education and part community action—getting them ready to create county-wide broadband action plans. 

“Going through an engagement and planning process,” said Adrianne B. Furniss, executive director of the Benton Institute, “makes it easier to get over the barriers and ready communities to receive their fair share of this once-in-a-generation federal and state broadband funding.”

To read the full report, visit www.benton.org/publications/broadband-breakthrough 

For more information, contact Adrianne B. Furniss, Executive Director, Benton Institute for Broadband & Society at afurniss@benton.org. 

About the United Soybean Board

United Soybean Board’s 78 volunteer farmer-directors work on behalf of all U.S. soybean farmers to achieve maximum value for their soy checkoff investments. These volunteers invest and leverage checkoff funds in programs and partnerships to drive soybean innovation beyond the bushel and increase preference for U.S. soy. That preference is based on U.S. soybean meal and oil quality and the sustainability of U.S. soybean farmers. As stipulated in the federal Soybean Promotion, Research and Consumer Information Act, the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service has oversight responsibilities for USB and the soy checkoff. For more information on the United Soybean Board, visit unitedsoybean.org.

About the Benton Institute for Broadband and Society

The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society is a 40-year non-profit organization focused on broadband policy, working to make sure everyone in the U.S. can use and benefit from high quality, affordable broadband regardless of where they live or who they are. We strengthen local, state, and national leadership by providing the timely information, rigorous evidence, practical guidance, and advocacy needed to articulate and implement a broadband for all agenda. For more information see www.benton.org/about-benton

The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that all people in the U.S. have access to competitive, High-Performance Broadband regardless of where they live or who they are. We believe communication policy - rooted in the values of access, equity, and diversity - has the power to deliver new opportunities and strengthen communities.

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