Illinois to Launch Next Phases of Connect Illinois, Waits on NTIA

Sep. 27, 2024 - The Illinois broadband office has received approval from the state’s Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to release two funding notices aimed at closing the state’s digital divide.

Illinois was approved to engage with the fourth round of the Connect Illinois grant program, which is backed by the Biden Administration’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program. The state continues to wait for approval of its BEAD proposal from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, part of the U.S. Commerce Department.

Illinois says that the Connect Illinois program is the largest state broadband funding program in the United States, with more than $400 million in funds to support expanded broadband access to the state’s unserved and underserved communities.