Chicago Tribune

The fiber-optic race is on in Lake County (IL), or so declares at least one internet service provider building in the county, with the region proving a popular market that has seen a growing need for broadband internet. While there was a federal-level push under the Biden administration for high-speed internet access to be “fiber forward,” Lake County Board member Jennifer Clark said the Trump administration has shifted focus to include technologies like Starlink.

The Lake County (IL) Digital Equity Coalition is proud of the work it’s done getting vulnerable populations connected to the modern world, but uncertainty lies ahead for it and many programs as COVID-era federal funding draws to a close. The coalition is part of the broader Digital Growth Initiative, which came about when the Broadband and Digital Equity Action Plan was passed in December 2023 through the use of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.

An $84 million plan to boost internet speeds at Chicago Public Schools has stalled again, officials say, because of red tape in securing construction permits from the city. For several months, crews have been ripping up streets to build a new high-speed fiber network.

The all-out push in Congress to pass a historic infrastructure bill offers an unprecedented opportunity to bring high-speed internet to unconnected rural areas. It’s a watershed moment for rural America, one that could turbocharge economic development and help reverse long-standing health and education challenges.

Hundreds of school-age children in suburban Cook County (IL)  public housing will get free laptops paid for by federal coronavirus stimulus money starting Oct 7, as part of an ongoing effort to ensure digital access after the COVID-19 pandemic upended in-person learning. About $270,000 of CARES Act money allocated to the Housing Authority of Cook County (HACC) will be used to purchase laptops for 900 students who live in the public housing complexes to keep and otherwise would struggle to complete remote learning.

All families with school-age children in suburban Cook County in Chicago public housing buildings will be eligible for free broadband internet under a program funded through federal coronavirus stimulus money.