Local Officials Share Insights on How Broadband Impacts Population Growth, Economic Development, and Education in Illinois

The University of Illinois Extension Local Government Education Program and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Illinois Office of Broadband partnered with the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society to implement the Developing Broadband Leadership Webinar Series. The leadership series is a four-part workshop launched as part of the Connect Illinois initiative, a phased $420 million initiative implemented to expand broadband in unserved and underserved municipalities statewide. On May 13, 2020, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker opened the inaugural webinar titled “Broadband — Now More than Ever” by sharing information about Connect Illinois and the first two rounds of grant awards. Participants also heard from Roberto Gallardo from the Purdue Center of Regional Development who shared statistics on broadband connectivity across Illinois, accounting for demographic factors such as race, education, and income. At the center of the call were local officials from three Next Century Cities municipalities in Illinois including Carbondale, Highland, and Jacksonville who spoke about broadband connectivity efforts in their respective communities. Next Century Cities’ own Francella Ochillo moderated the discussion.