URBANA – The Illinois Broadband Lab, a collaboration between the Illinois Office of Broadband and University of Illinois System, invites residents and local organizations in northwest Illinois to in-person listening sessions in Moline on Tuesday, May 9, and in Morrison on Wednesday, May 10. The events will give the public a forum for asking questions and providing input about the region’s most urgent needs and priorities related to high-speed internet connectivity and access.

The Northwest Illinois Broadband Regional Engagement for Adoption + Digital Equity (READY) team led by Northern Illinois University is partnering with the Illinois Broadband Lab to host the following events for the west central Illinois region:

 

  • Listening sessions with residents, non-profits and community organizations
    • May 9 – 3:30-4:30 p.m. – Western Illinois University Quad Cities Campus, Riverfront Hall Room 103/104, 3300 River Drive, Moline, IL 61265 – Register
    • May 10 – 6:30-7:30 p.m. – Morrison Tech Auditorium, 701 Portland Ave., Morrison, IL 61270 – Register

The community outreach events are one way that Illinois residents can contribute to the state’s plan to invest federal funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) and Digital Equity (DE) programs.

To ensure that federal BEAD and digital equity funding addresses demonstrated barriers and needs – for instance, the 285,000-plus Illinois households without physical access to basic internet service and the over 1.1 million Illinois residents without the devices and skills to use the internet – the Illinois Broadband Lab will work with a wide range of community organizations, local governments, and broadband stakeholders to gather critical input.