Knox County to see $17 million investment in fiber-optic rural broadband

High-speed, fiber-optic broadband internet is coming to more than 1,300 unserved and underserved locations in rural Knox County (IL). The expansion is the result of investments by the Knox County board that led to more than $12 million in state grants and a total investment of $17 million, including what local and national internet providers will contribute. The county board allocated $2.4 million of American Rescue Plan Act funds to the broadband initiative in March 2022 and a broadband steering team was convened. The county’s investment led to Connect Illinois broadband infrastructure grants totaling more than $12 million. Combined with more than $4.8 million in investments from Oneida Telephone Exchange and Frontier, that makes up the $17 million total investment in rural broadband.