The deadline for the “Big Broadband” grant, which would provide faster, more competitive internet throughout Champaign, Urbana and the University is quickly approaching. The application for 80% matched funding, provided by the federal government’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, is due in mid August.
The Broadband Access Committee, which is leading the community-wide campaign for this fiber-optic network, has made several presentations to the Urbana and Champaign city councils.
The University has already earmarked funds to support this project, said Peter Resnick, chair of the committee.
The proposal has been well received, he added.
The Urbana city council voted unanimously for the city staff to continue working on the grant. In early August, the city council will officially look at the tax dollar amount, organizational structure and intergovernmental agreement between the two cities and the University, said Brandon Bowersox, Urbana city council member.
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“A city staff memo will lay out a couple of options on how we could fund our portion,” he added.
The network would be specifically directed towards lower-income sections of the city in order to lessen the technical gap.
“The digital divide in this town is huge, similar to many American cities except that we have the unique ground to bridge the digital ground and be a model for other cities,” Bowersox said. “We are a town that has the resources and expertise.”
“I see this as a huge essential for all of our city to be technically savvy,” he added.
Internet access could help the unemployed find jobs or help people discover better jobs. Additionally, it would be a huge asset for schools and another draw to the community, Resnick said.
The cities may not receive the grant in its first round, but there are three in total. The Broadband Access Committee hopes to make it through one of these rounds.
Still, a fiber-optic network was something the community had wanted even before the stimulus grant.
“The broadband access committee will still continue even if we don’t receive funding,” Bowersox said. “That’s’ their charter, that’s why they were created.”
