ISA launches ‘Broadband Breakthrough’

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — The Illinois Soybean Association recently hosted the kickoff meeting of project Broadband Breakthrough.

Representatives from the five selected counties — McLean, Edgar, Schuyler, Hancock and Ogle — met to learn more about getting affordable rural broadband access for their respective counties.

“Broadband access in our great state’s rural and remote areas opens up a world of opportunity,” said Todd Main, ISA market development director.

“It connects local businesses to global markets, provides educational opportunities and connects patients to health care while also allowing for population growth, higher rates of new business formation and home values and lower unemployment rates. Broadband access is crucial to the revitalization and preservation of rural communities.”

Over the next 14 weeks, the county teams will work together to develop their grant applications to receive funding from the state and federal broadband programs.

Through developing and sending out countywide surveys, meeting with community leaders and stakeholders, identifying viable broadband anchors through mapping, conducting feasibility studies and interviewing potential internet service providers and more, these teams will build the foundation to provide the citizens of their counties with reliable, affordable rural broadband access.

“Working with this cohort of five counties to accelerate and streamline their rural broadband access funding application allows us all to learn how to replicate this process for other counties and their leaders successfully,” Main said.

“ISA is proud to be a part of this project as we work together to break through the broadband barrier.”

In the coming weeks, ISA will distribute a statewide survey asking citizens, farmers and industry stakeholders about their internet access and speed to gain critical information for Illinois counties to identify broadband needs, viable broadband anchors in their area and more.

In many instances, neighboring counties can work together in this initiative, from identifying mutually beneficial anchors to working with the same internet service provider.