Illinois' Provisional BEAD Awards Now Available

The Illinois Office of Broadband released the Connect Illinois Round 4 Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program Final Proposal on September 23. The public comment period is open through September 29, 2025, at 5 pm CT. Comments can be submitted via this form. If approved, Illinois will connect nearly 160,000 BEAD-eligible locations through a combination of technologies (76% wired, 15% low-earth orbit satellite, and 9% wireless terrestrial), a federal investment of more than $990 million, and more than 40% private match, which totals more than $657 million in provider and community contributions.