The Illinois Office of Broadband/Illinois Broadband Lab and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) wants to hear from the community. They are hosting community stakeholder events in DCEO's East Central region to help inform the state’s plan for leveraging federal broadband funds from the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. These sessions will be held for the general public in Champaign on April 12, from 6 - 7 p.m. at the Champaign County Farm Bureau (801 N. Country Fair Drive, Champaign, IL 61821) and in Danville on April 13, from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. at Danville Area Community College (Vermilion Hall, Room 306, 2000 East Main St., Danville, IL 61832).

The federal Digital Equity (DE) and Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) programs may allocate over $1B in funding to Illinois to accelerate high-speed internet access statewide and ultimately help close the digital divide. In preparation for this, the Illinois Office of Broadband, in partnership with the University of Illinois System, recently launched a series of local coordination efforts to gather input on broadband-related needs and priorities from various stakeholders.

The State will host in-person listening sessions for residents, nonprofits, and local organizations in Champaign on April 12 and Danville on April 13. The Illinois Office of Broadband will also host small group meetings with government stakeholders before the public sessions to better understand local government agencies' broadband needs, priorities, and experiences, including schools. Please see the details below. If someone cannot attend in person, they can join sessions online by visiting https://broadband.uillinois.edu/.

Session 1: Wednesday, April 12th, 6-7 pm at the Champaign County Farm Bureau

801 N. Country Fair Dr.

Champaign, IL 61821

RSVP at https://champaign-session.eventbrite.com

*Briefing for local government leaders and staff will occur in the same location from 4-4:45 pm. Please RSVP to Abby Ottenhoff at abby@ao-strategies.com if you plan to participate.

Session 2: Thursday, April 13th, 5:30-6:30 pm at Danville Area Community College

Vermilion Hall - Room 306

2000 East Main Street

Danville, IL 61832

RSVP at https://danville-session.eventbrite.com

*Local government leaders and staff will be briefed in the same location from 4:30-5:15 pm. Please RSVP to Abby Ottenhoff at abby@ao-strategies.com if you plan to participate.

Reach out to illinoisbroadbandlab@ullinois.edu with any questions or requests for assistance.