Introduction
Illinois has been allocated over $1 billion of federal funding for broadband expansion and digital inclusion programs as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. There are two separate programs:
- The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program is aimed at getting unserved and underserved households and community anchor institutions like libraries connected to high-speed internet.
- The Digital Equity Act supports digital inclusion projects aimed at helping Illinois residents access affordable internet service as well as devices, digital skills training, and other support.
This funding will help Illinois residents access essential services and more fully participate in activities related to business, education, telehealth, community safety, and more. Projects must be focused on reaching any or all of the “covered populations” that have historically experienced lower rates of computer and internet use, as defined in the Digital Equity Act.
The Illinois Office of Broadband is responsible for distributing the funding and creating programs that expand broadband connectivity and increase digital equity throughout Illinois, and has created the BEAD Five-Year Action Plan and State Digital Equity Plan to guide this work.
Libraries are a critical factor in the implementation of these plans. You provide access to the internet and connected devices, offer digital skills training, and keep patrons informed about new technology. We encourage library staff to review Illinois’ plans and advocate for the services that you currently provide and any capacity-building needs you may have.
RAILS fully expects that opportunities for libraries to benefit from this funding and participate in programming will continue to expand. Libraries that are interested in applying for these funds and learning about upcoming opportunities should follow the Illinois Office of Broadband and sign up for their email newsletter. If you have questions or would like to share the work your library is doing, please reach out to RAILS Director of Technology Services and Chair of the Illinois Broadband Advisory Council Anne Slaughter, anne.slaughter@railslibraries.org or 630.734.5127. We’d love to highlight your projects and stories!
Definitions
Adapted from the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA).
Digital equity is a condition in which all individuals and communities have the information technology capacity needed for full participation in our society, democracy, and economy. Digital equity is necessary for civic and cultural participation, employment, lifelong learning, and access to essential services.
Digital Inclusion refers to the activities necessary to ensure that all individuals and communities, including the most disadvantaged, have access to and use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). This includes five elements:
- Affordable, robust broadband internet service;
- Internet-enabled devices that meet the needs of the user;
- Access to digital literacy training;
- Quality technical support; and
- Applications and online content designed to enable and encourage self-sufficiency, participation and collaboration.
Digital Inclusion must evolve as technology advances. Digital Inclusion requires intentional strategies and investments to reduce and eliminate historical, institutional and structural barriers to access and use technology.
To learn more about the funding, please watch a presentation from Anne Slaughter at the RAILS Member Update held on November 15, 2023:
News Articles
- September 19, 2024 - Anne Slaughter Named DCEO Broadband Advisory Council Chair
- March 5, 2024 - Western Illinois Digital Access Conference, April 12
- January 31, 2024 - RAILS, CARLI, and IHLS Publish Open Letter Regarding Digital Equity Plan
Get Involved
BroadbandforLibraries.com
To help keep libraries informed on issues related to broadband and libraries, RAILS, CARLI, and IHLS have launched BroadbandforLibraries.com.
Digital Equity Networking Group
If you have a passion for increasing digital equity and working towards mitigating the digital divide, please consider joining and participating in the RAILS Digital Equity Networking Group. Participants in this group will work together to identify barriers that stand in the way of digital equity and will share solutions and opportunities for bridging the digital divide in their local communities. This group is open to staff from any Illinois library.
Broadband in Illinois
Illinois Office of Broadband
Find information about the programs funded by the Connect Illinois, BEAD, and the Digital Equity Act; find grant opportunities; track broadband expansion projects impacting your community; and learn about the Broadband Advisory Council. You can also share your broadband or digital equity story.
Illinois Broadband Connections
A collaborative effort between the Illinois Office of Broadband and the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, this biweekly newsletter shares Illinois-specific broadband and digital equity news and opportunities for learning and collaboration.
Illinois Broadband Lab
A collaboration on broadband data, mapping, research, and publication driven by the Illinois Office of Broadband and the University of Illinois System.
Connect Illinois Computer Equity Network
Device distribution and e-recycling through PCs for People.
County Plans
RAILS encourages our libraries to connect with your counties, digital equity coalitions, broadband networks, and other local organizations engaged in broadband expansion and digital inclusion to partner on grant projects and other opportunities. Don't see your county listed here? Reach out to them directly to find out if they have a digital equity program, and please let us know about it.
Cook County
Read the Digital Equity Action Plan, check out the Digital Equity Map, and find out about opportunities to connect with the work of the Digital Equity office.
Lake County Digital Growth Initiative and Coalition
Peoria County Digital Equity Pilot Program
National Organizations
A small sampling of organizations working in Illinois and beyond to offer opportunities to track the latest developments, learn, network, and advocate.
Benton Institute for Broadband & Society
National Digital Inclusion Alliance
Schools, Health, and Libraries Broadband Coalition (SHLB)
Resources for Libraries
ALA Digital Equity Resources for Libraries
ALA Digital Equity in Libraries report
New York State Library digital inclusion toolkit
PLA 2023 Public Library Technology Survey
Grant capacity-building webinars offered by the Illinois Office of Broandband and University of Illinois Extension: register for upcoming webinars and see archived slides and recordings.
Digital Equity Data Resources
U.S. Census Bureau’s Digital Equity Act Covered Population Viewer
U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey
NTIA Internet Use Survey Data Explorer
Digital Skills and Digital Navigators
Library workers are the original digital navigators! Library workers have been helping their communities develop digital skills for decades. In today’s digital equity ecosystem, digital navigators are individuals who address the whole digital inclusion process — home connectivity, devices, and digital skills — through repeated interactions if that’s what a community member needs. The digital navigator model has proved to be flexible and replicable across a variety of settings, including libraries. The National Digital Inclusion Alliance provides further information about digital navigators and digital navigation programs on their website.
Free Digital Navigator Overview training from Community Tech Network
Free resources for digital skills trainers at DigitalLearn.org