Illinois Ports Fear BEAD Slowdown

The Illinois Waterway (ILWW) Ports Commission is a special government district serving ten rural, riverfront counties in Central and North Central Illinois. ILWW recently wrote to members of the Illinois Congressional delegation to stress that rural Illinois residents have gone too long without adequate broadband access. "The ILWW Ports Commission simply cannot be a modern, sustainable, rural, regional, multi-modal, inland port without broadband access. The ILWW Ports Commission values investment in communications infrastructure as much as needed multi-modal transportation, natural, energy, and water resources infrastructure investment. Rural Illinois is a nationally and globally significant part of the supply chain."