By Kay Shipman-Swiech
Key points
• An anticipated award in funding of about $1 million to address the digital divide was canceled, which would have helped individuals acquire the digital skills and hardware to engage in the modern economy.
• Changes were made to a program that was estimated to bring an investment of about $30 million to McLean County to build a rural, fiber optic network to ensure high-speed access to every home and business.
• Rural areas lack broadband access; some speeds 10 times slower than minimal.
• Inaccessibility touches on healthcare, government services, education, business, and economic development.
Most of rural McLean County can’t log on.
And efforts to bridge the digital divide had the plug pulled when the National Telecommunication and Information Administration ((NTIA) terminated the Digital Equity Act, of which about $1 million was anticipated to be awarded to a consortium of libraries across McLean County. That funding would have provided access to training and hardware to ensure individuals could access the digital economy. Additionally, NTIA made changes to the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program that was estimated to bring an investment of about $30 million to McLean County to construct a rural fiber optic network to ensure high speed internet access to every home and business in McLean County. Since November 2022, McLean County government began planning and work to expand access to broadband services in rural areas. The amount anticipated for the county is now unknown.
Internet speeds across large rural swaths are far below minimum speeds of 100 Megabits per second (Mbps) sufficient for homes, schools, and businesses. Speeds of 19 Mbps and 10 Mbps — as much as 10 times too slow – were measured in rural McLean County.
Meanwhile, more services and daily jobs are now digital. Following the pandemic, telehealth now brings nurses and doctors, especially pediatricians and specialists, to their patients, while improving efficiency and reducing travel times, a critical factor in rural areas.
Students and teachers find online resources and information broaden available materials and provide new opportunities for learning. During bad weather or other circumstances, E-learning allows districts to educate students even when buildings are closed and buses can’t run. Online courses and degree programs offer opportunities for adult learners to learn at home.
More local, state and national government information and services are available online – in some cases it’s only online. Everything from registering to vote and renewing a driver’s license and from looking up real estate to registering for Medicare.
Businesses are more reliant on digital services. Today businesses need 100 to 200 Mbps with larger businesses needing speeds greater than 200 Mbps. Video calls have replaced many meetings and allow employees to work remotely or those in satellite offices to stay in contact. Much buying, selling and even attracting customers happens online. One of the first questions a business asks when exploring the possibility of investing in McLean County is, ‘Where’s the fiber optic?’ If fiber does not already exist on at a site or does not at least run near a site, the business’ interest diminishes.