LatinX DLN Advisor & Project Manager, Della Benavidez publishes an article in the Benton Institute
| Statewide Listening Tour On the Move |
| On April 12 and 13, the Illinois Broadband Lab team visited the East Central region of the state, hosting listening sessions at the Champaign County Farm Bureau and Danville Area Community College. |
| The Listening Tour is designed to gather feedback from residents, community-based organizations, local government officials, and other key stakeholders to inform the state’s Digital Equity Plan and fulfill the state’s broadband and digital equity planning requirements outlined in the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. You can read more about the Connect Illinois Broadband and Digital Equity Planning Initiative in the March 6 edition of the newsletter and visit broadband.uillinois.edu/community-engagement to see an updated schedule. The Listening Tour for the Connect Illinois Broadband and Digital Equity Planning Initiative continues to roll out across the state. |
| Next Stop: Chicago Chicago — April 19 | 3-4pm | RSVP Listening Session for Nonprofits & Community-Based Organizations Malcolm X College 1900 West Jackson, Boulevard Room 1107 Chicago, IL 60612 |
| Future Listening Tour Locations: Central Region Decatur — April 25 | 5–6 p.m. | RSVP Listening Session for Residents Macon County Extension Office, Illini Room 3351 N. President Howard Brown Blvd. Decatur, IL 62521 Springfield — April 26 | 3-4 p.m. | RSVP Listening Session for Nonprofits & Community-Based Organizations Innovate Springfield 15 S. Old State Capitol Plaza Springfield, IL 62701 Springfield — April 26 | 6-7 p.m. | RSVP Listening Session for Residents Lincoln Library — Carnegie Room North 326 S. 7th Street Springfield, IL 62701 West Central Region Macomb — May 3 | 12-1 p.m. | RSVP Macomb — May 3 | 6-7 p.m. | RSVP Both Listening Sessions for Residents, Nonprofits & Community-Based Organizations Macomb City Community Room 232 East Jackson St. Macomb, IL 61455 |
| In the coming weeks, separate virtual options will be available for internet service providers and other private-sector stakeholders to provide their input. |
| Virtual Listening Session for ISPs and Businesses April 28 | 12–1 p.m. | RSVP |
| For additional detail and a current list of all planned listening tour sessions, visit broadband.uillinois.edu/. |
| Connect Illinois Mapping Review |
| Before Connect Illinois grants are awarded, applicants, incumbent providers, impacted communities, and other stakeholders can provide feedback on proposed projects and the accuracy of the Illinois Broadband Map. Incumbent broadband providers can challenge the eligibility of a grant application on the basis of current available broadband service or near–term planned broadband deployment. Impacted communities and other stakeholders can provide feedback regarding an application’s alignment with community goals, plans, or needs. The Round 3 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) stipulates aspects of the mapping review and challenge process used to confirm service availability, federal funding commitments, and community support for proposed project areas. For instance, the Illinois Broadband Map site shows: • Publication of proposed project areas and project descriptions; • Publication of relevant deadline(s)—which shall be no fewer than 20 business days—for initial mapping review and challenge process feedback; • Response to feedback filed to [email protected], including the opportunity for a follow-up conversation regarding project(s) in question; • Communication to applicant regarding feedback received, including the opportunity for a follow-up conversation regarding project(s) in question; and • Final determination, with resulting impact on proposed project area, scope, and/or budget communicated to feedback filer and applicant prior to award announcement. More information about the mapping review and challenge process, including Illinois Broadband Map data collection, is available at: https://dceo.illinois.gov/connectillinois/mapping-review.html. |
| A webinar covering the Illinois Broadband Map, Connect Illinois mapping review, and federal broadband map will be held this Friday, April 21, at 12pm. To register, click here. |
| Additional information regarding Round 3 of Connect Illinois can be found at the Illinois Office of Broadband website, including: • The Illinois Broadband Map, updated to illustrate Broadband Access category eligibility; • The modified NOFO, including all clarifications noted above; and • The two-part application packet, with complementary guidance and application template. On March 10, Illinois Office of Broadband Director Matt Schmit provided details on Round 3. |
| Questions? Email [email protected]. |
| Shawnee Communications Connect Illinois Projects Completed |
| Illinois-based Shawnee Communications has completed two Round 1 projects that, together, pair roughly $4.7 million in grant funding with over $10.5 million in provider match. The fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) projects bring high-speed internet access to customers in Saline, Johnson, and Williamson counties—including more than 2,000 homes and businesses in the communities of Eagle Point Bay, Goreville, Mitchellsville, Pulleys Mill, and Rudement. “Shawnee Communications is enthusiastic and prepared to provide more Southern Illinois residents with the best in telecommunications services and fiber-based high-speed internet, and customer service that is second to none,” said CEO Mike Grisham. “We believe this partnership will continue the legacy that Shawnee has established in Southern Illinois. This partnership brings greater broadband equity, enhanced access to critical health care and employment, and student access to speeds and the reliability necessary for education, especially in these difficult times.” The fiber networks for the two Shawnee projects are considered “future-proof,” offering service of one gigabit per second (1 Gbps) upload and download speeds and supporting all anticipated internet uses both now and over the decades to come. With offices in Equality and Lovington, Shawnee Communications is a locally-owned rural provider of telephone, high-speed internet, and other telecommunications services in seven Southern and Central Illinois counties. Shawnee was among the first Connect Illinois awardees to execute a grant agreement, break ground, and complete project deployment to offer grant-funded service to Illinoisans in unserved and/or underserved areas seeking access to more reliable internet. A formal ribbon-cutting – or “network lighting” – celebratory event is anticipated this summer. |
| Updates on ACP & Digital Equity in Illinois |
| In early March, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced the recipients of its Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) Outreach grants. The purpose of the grants is to promote the program to help facilitate participation in ACP among eligible households. Illinois ACP Outreach Grant recipients include: • Regional Office of Education #9 DBA LTC IL — Champaign, IL | $100,000 • Alianza Americas* — Chicago, IL | $360,000 • Board of Education City of Chicago — Chicago, IL | $100,000 • SGA Youth & Family Services — Chicago, IL | $360,000 • State of Illinois Dept of Commerce and Economic Opportunity — Chicago, IL | $700,000 • Young Men’s Christian Association of Chicago — Chicago, IL | $120,994 • ConnectWaukegan NFP — Waukegan, IL | $122,725 *entity plans to conduct multi-state and/or national ACP outreach On March 15, the FCC also selected 23 applicants to receive grant funding for the Your Home, Your Internet pilot program. These grants look to increase awareness and encourage ACP participation for households receiving federal housing assistance. Illinois recipients include: • Chicago Housing Authority | $242,940 • Lake County Housing Authority | $167,383 ACP outreach efforts are critical for lowering the cost of access to broadband for thousands of Illinoisans. The Benton Institute recently published research indicating that half of ACP-eligible households are still unaware of the program. Fortunately, the FCC is continuing to support outreach efforts, and announced $10 million in additional funding for trusted partners who will help sign people up to participate in the ACP. To learn more about the additional ACP Awareness grants, see the Benton Institute’s write-up, FCC Plans Additional ACP Awareness Grants. Discussion of ACP grants will be a featured item during the April 20 ACP Outreach, Capacity, and Planning call, which occurs from 11am-12pm on the third Thursday of each month. To join the April 20 call, email [email protected]. |
| Cybersecurity Awareness Series: Prioritizing Cybersecurity in Rural Communities |
| Over the next several editions of Illinois Broadband Connections, Illini Science Policy Scholars and American Connection Corps members will be sharing cybersecurity tips and resources to help Illinoisans carry out safe web and privacy practices. This edition’s installment on “Prioritizing Cybersecurity in Rural Communities” is from Lead for America Fellow Della V. Benavidez. The coronavirus pandemic brought about a significant federal response to bolster the nation’s infrastructure, including broadband. Just as federal dollars target urban and rural gaps in broadband access, so too should we focus our attention on rural and urban gaps in cybersecurity skills and employment. One urban and rural discrepancy that should not be ignored is the cybersecurity skills gap. According to Cyberseek, “there are around 1.1 million people employed in cybersecurity in the U.S., but over 700,000 unfilled positions are currently available.” This situation puts companies, non-profit organizations, and both the educational and governmental sectors at high risk for cyberattacks, particularly in rural America. The Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) leads the nation in its efforts to create critical infrastructure to support industries that are interwoven and reliant on one another. As explained on CISA’s website, “There are 16 critical infrastructure sectors whose assets, systems and networks, whether physical or virtual, are considered so vital to the United States that their incapacitation or destruction would have a debilitating effect on security, national economic public health or safety, or any combination thereof.” Just imagine the progress that could be made if the sixteen identified sectors would unite to create an interconnected safety net to provide countermeasures to malicious attacks from bad actors. Although all industries are at risk of security breaches, the most targeted ones include the healthcare, financial and energy sectors. Many of these vital sectors operate in or are dependent on the strength of rural areas. Take wind energy. A clear advantage of wind energy includes its ability to stabilize the electrical grid. Wind energy is inextricably linked to the food and agriculture sector. However, this type of renewable energy also comes with its own challenges concerning cybersecurity issues. It is critical to start building cyber resilience in-house and close the cyber skills gap within rural populations. We must make it our priority to identify, assess, and mitigate risks and prioritize the agriculture and wind power infrastructures to assist rural communities to thrive. As a nation, we need to build a plan with actionable steps to find solutions before cyber breaches negatively impact critical infrastructure. This may be one of the reasons the Biden-Harris Administration set aside $1 billion for its very first state and local cybersecurity program in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The Administration allocated $250 million geared towards strengthening the cybersecurity position of rural electric utilities last year in partnership with the Department of Energy (DOE). However, without the appropriate cybersecurity personnel in rural America, these initiatives cannot successfully launch. We should work together to meet the exigencies of cybersecurity. Part of those efforts should address how we can improve human capital to equip rural communities with cyber skills that will make them less vulnerable. Della V. Benavidez is a 20-year veteran teacher who obtained her graduate certificate in Cybersecurity from Abilene Christian University in 2022. She traveled all around the nation last year since she worked for GenCyber as a Site Visitor. She also began her service year as an AmeriCorps Member and a Lead for America Fellow. Although she resides in Texas, she works remotely for her host site Latinx DLN which is located in Chicago, Illinois. |
| Further information can be found in: Biden-Harris Administration Announces $1 Billion in Funding for First-Ever State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program (Department of Homeland Security) Biden-Harris Administration Launches $250 Million Program To Strengthen Energy Security For Rural Communities (Energy.gov) Why cybersecurity in rural broadband buildout strategies is critical (Light Reading) |