Accelerate Illinois Broadband Infrastructure Planning Program: How Your Community Can Apply For 14-week Community Engagement

Accelerate Illinois Broadband Infrastructure Planning Program: How Your Community Can Apply For 14-week Community Engagement
 
Join the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) for an informational session regarding how to apply for the Accelerate Illinois Broadband Infrastructure Planning Program. The Accelerate Illinois program works to prepare communities for establishing and implementing a full-scale broadband connectivity vision and is a collaborative effort among the Illinois Office of Broadband, the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, and University of Illinois Extension, and is supported by Heartland Forward and its Connecting the Heartland Initiative. Through over 30 hours of FREE expert counsel provided by the Benton Institute, the program offers structured engagement for communities to identify broadband goals, understand available funding options, and target capital dollars to support implementation. The Accelerate Illinois “Notice of Collaboration Opportunity” is open now and accepting applications through December 30, 2021. The State expects to serve up to 12 communities as part of this initial pilot initiative.