East-Central Illinois to expand broadband super highway
State receives $12 million USDA funding, one of 7 projects funded over last 2 months
Kay Shipman
Published: Sep 2, 2010
East-Central Illinois came up a big winner last week with $12 million in USDA broadband funding that will build high-speed infrastructure in the area.
Federal and state officials announced the combination of federal grants and loans, state funds, and private investment during a press conference in Danville.
Gov. Pat Quinn called the nearly $24 million public-private project “an information super highway.”
“We don’t want a (digital) divide with some people having very good Internet (services) . . . and some left way behind,” Quinn said.
Cellular Properties, based in Danville, received from USDA a $6 million grant and a $6 million loan to bring third generation (3G) of wireless network technology to Clay, Clark, Coles, Crawford, Cumberland, Douglas, Edgar, Jasper, Lawrence, Richland and Vermilion counties.
In addition to the USDA Rural Development funds, the project funding includes a $1 million from the Illinois Jobs Now public works program, which is administered by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, and about $11 million from Cellular Properties.
“These broadband projects will give rural communities access to the tools they need to create jobs, stimulate local economies, and build a foundation for future prosperity," said Colleen Callahan, USDA Rural Development state director. Seven Illinois projects have received awards in the last two months, Callahan noted.
Illinois broadband projects that recently received USDA funding include:
- Delta Communications LLC, based in Harrisburg, was awarded a $31.5 million grant. Through this project, Delta’s Clearwave Communications will deploy a high-speed fiber, middle-mile network across a 23-county region of southern Illinois
- Utopian Wireless Corporation received $783,000 to provide 4G portable/mobile broadband access to rural communities in and around Bushnell in McDonough County and Flora in Clay County.
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