Illinois Broadband Connections Newsletter | |
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We're approved!
On August 25, 2026, Illinois received its long-awaited Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program approval from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). This approval marks nearly one year since Illinois submitted its Final Proposal on September 30, 2025, which followed Illinois' facilitation of a restructured and truncated subgrantee selection process to align with the federal government's June 2026 BEAD Restructuring Policy Notice.
In the coming weeks, the Illinois Office of Broadband (IOB) is ready and excited to formally launch its historic $1+ billion BEAD Program, which will connect more than 142,000 homes, businesses, and community anchor institutions to broadband over the next five years. A map of projects is available at illinoisbead.org.
Read Governor JB Pritzker's announcement
Now, Illinois awaits its Notice of Award from the U.S. Department of Commerce, which will initiate the six-month timeline for Illinois to execute all grant agreements with awardees. In the meantime, the IOB is finalizing program guidance, processes, and orientation materials in preparation to formally on-board its 23 internet service provider grantees this fall, including preliminary program guidance and final subgrantee selection process information.
With the celebration of Illinois' BEAD approval also comes bittersweet news of the departure of the Illinois Broadband Lab's most tenured team member, Shubhika Agarwal. Shubhika has been instrumental to Illinois' progress toward universal broadband connectivity -- please join the Illinois Broadband Team in thanking her for her years of service and dedication to closing the digital divide in Illinois. Read on for a personal note from Shubhika!
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- BEAD by the Numbers
- A Note from Shubhika
- Illinois Out in the Field
- Advancing Community Impact
- Illinois Job Opportunities
- IOB Engagement Opportunities & Webinars
- News and Articles
- Upcoming Events
- Resources
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| The journey begins to connect 142,000+ homes, businesses, and community institutions by ~2031 | |
BEAD breakdown:
- Federal Allocation: $1.04B
- Private Match: $500M
- Total Locations: 142,546
- 141,311 Broadband Serviceable Locations (BSLs)
- 1,235 Community Anchor Institutions (CAIs)
- Grantees: 23
- Technology Breakdown:
- 68.1% Fiber
- 23.6% Fixed Wireless
- 8.1% Satellite
- .2% HFC/Coax
View Illinois' BEAD map and download the data at illinoisbead.org.
| Farewell and thank you to Shubhika Agarwal! | |
The IOB and Illinois Broadband Lab offer a bittersweet goodbye to one of the Illinois Broadband Team's most tenured team members, Shubhika Agarwal, IBL's Assistant Director for Broadband Data & GeoAnalytics. Read on for a personal note from Shubhika, and join us in wishing her well on her next adventure!
After five incredible years, I will be moving on to my next adventure in the telecom and software space and returning to India. My journey here began in June 2021 as an Illini Science Policy Scholar, and I am deeply grateful to the University of Illinois Extension for establishing a program that provided such a strong foundation for my career. Over the years, it has been a true pleasure collaborating not only with fellow scholars but with my incredible colleagues at the Illinois Office of Broadband and the Illinois Broadband Lab—I honestly could not have asked for a better team. Together with local leaders, our dedicated Internet Service Providers, and community stakeholders, we have worked to build a stronger, more equitable digital ecosystem across Illinois.
Reflecting on this work, it is amazing to see how far we have come. From the early days of Connect Illinois to four whirlwind years of BEAD implementation and navigating the challenge process, I am so proud of what we have achieved. A standout experience during this time was our statewide listening tour; learning directly from communities was incredible and ensured that these programs were built on genuine collaboration. I have also had a front-row seat to our mapping evolution, transitioning from high-level polygon maps to the granular, location-level data that now drives national infrastructure efforts. Parallel to this infrastructure work, it has been inspiring to see our focus expand to digital adoption, ensuring our communities are truly prepared for advanced technologies and AI.
I will always cherish the partnerships that made this data actionable. Collaborating with the Benton Institute for Broadband and Society on Illinois Connected Communities, the Accelerate Program, and the Broadband Breakthrough Program—especially my foundational work with Jackson and Edgar counties—taught me so much about translating local broadband visions into reality. Similarly, our new and ongoing partnership with Ookla will be vital in helping stakeholders understand local access needs. With several exciting data and dashboard projects currently underway, there is so much for our communities to look forward to in this space.
To everyone I’ve met at conferences, in community halls, and across the state: thank you for your passion, for sharing your best practices, and for welcoming me into your communities. This is certainly not a goodbye forever! I look forward to following all the incredible work continuing in Illinois. Please stay connected with me on LinkedIn as I begin my next chapter.
| Illinois Out in the Field | |
IOB Participates in Regional Economic Development Roadshow
IOB Community Engagement Managers (CEMs) Lingling Liu, Hillary Rains, and Alicia Ross joined the Rural and Regional Economic Development team (Team RED) on the 2026 DCEO Roadshow, bringing exciting information about broadband development and digital equity initiatives to locations across the state. The Roadshow events are currently taking place across all of Illinois' 10 economic development regions from August 18 through September 10. To date, CEMs Lingling Liu, Alicia Ross, and Hillary Rains have presented in Peoria, Tuscola, Macomb, Vandalia, Fairfield, Springfield, and Northern Chicago.
| DCEO Celebrates National Black Business Month 2026 | |
On August 15, 2026, IOB Community Engagement Manager Alicia Ross attended DCEO's Black Business Expo in Broadview, Illinois, honoring National Black Business Month. During the event, Illinois House Speaker Emmanuel Chris Welch presented to business leaders about the importance of supporting small businesses in Illinois, and a panel of state leaders, banker, and business leader shared key strategies for starting and growing a business in Illinois.
On August 18, Ross visited The Joseph Business School for a Black business panel focused on AI and designed to empower Black business owners with practical resources and tools to strength and sustain their businesses using AI tools. The event showcased partners from several industries in the technology space. Attendees engaged in conversation about AI and data centers for businesses, sharing the key perspectives each industry may bring to communities.
| Advancing Community Impact | | Illinois Tech Reuse Network | | |
The Illinois Tech Reuse Network facilitates the collection of retired computers, laptops, and other devices, refurbishes them, and then distributes them for free (or at a low cost) to households in need of technology.
Have retired devices you are able to donate? Initiate a free pick up by completing this form, and your devices will be refurbished and distributed.
Visit IOB's Illinois Tech Reuse Network webpage for more information and FAQ, one-pagers and more.
| | Illinois Job Opportunities | | Illinois Broadband Jobs Board | The Illinois Broadband Jobs Board, created in partnership with Heartland Forward, is a user-friendly resource that connects job seekers with broadband-related job openings and training programs across the state, all in one place. | | |
The broadband industry offers:
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Career growth and advancement
- Competitive pay
- No college degree required
- Outdoor, hands-on work
- Independence and flexibility
| | | Share the site with your networks and help job seekers discover high-demand opportunities in their own communities. | | IOB Engagement Opportunities and Webinars | | | | |
The Illinois Office of Broadband holds a Monthly Digital Equity Updates call from 1:00 - 2:00 pm on the first Friday of every month. All are welcome!
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Next Call:
The next call will take place on September 4 | 1:00 pm-2:00 pm.
Register for future meetings here.
Digital Equity Resources Page
The Illinois Office of Broadband Digital Equity Act landing page includes a collection of crowdsourced digital equity resources, including data sources, digital skills training programs, digital navigator models, recorded webinars and more.
Have a resource to add? Email broadband@illinois.gov with the link and a description.
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Interested in receiving tailored communication about digital equity, BEAD, Connect Illinois, and more from the Illinois Office Broadband? Complete this form.
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For questions, email broadband@illinois.gov
Looking for more broadband policy news? The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society offers a free, reliable, and non-partisan daily digest that curates and distributes news related to universal broadband. You can subscribe to this service to learn how broadband delivers opportunities and strengthens communities.
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