SPRINGFIELD — More than 90,000 students across 100 school districts in rural Illinois would get access to high-speed internet under a bill proposed Wednesday by state lawmakers.
Proponents say the bill takes advantage of federal money earmarked for Illinois while bridging the digital divide that puts many rural school districts at a disadvantage compared to their urban counterparts.
The legislation would set aside $16.3 million in state funds from the upcoming budget, which would leverage as much as $50 million in matching funds from the federal government.
“We expect schools and teachers to solve all of society’s ills; we debate that all the time in the Legislature. Yet we fail to equip them with the tools necessary to get the job done,” said state Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill. “With the evidence-based model now in place, this is the next logical step for us to take to bridge inequity in our public schools in the state of Illinois.”
Online resources taken for granted in some schools — such as streaming educational videos, participating in online testing and engaging in remote learning — are out of reach for those who lack access to high-speed internet.
Manar, joined by co-sponsors state Sen. Sam McCann, R-Plainview, and state Sen. Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant, D-Shorewood, said the measure would be a one-time expense that would use funds from the state’s School Infrastructure Fund, which has $36.4 million sitting in the bank. They estimated that costs to build the fiber optic infrastructure would run between $75,000 to $420,000 per school.
The sponsors warned that if action is not taken this year, in addition to perpetuating the digital divide, federal funds set aside for the state may be diverted to other states. They urged Gov. Bruce Rauner to include the funding in the budget he will unveil in February.
Though giving no indication whether or not such funding will be included in his upcoming budget proposal, Rauner spokeswoman Rachel Bold said the governor “has supported funding to bring high-speed internet to rural school districts” in past budget proposals, including a $5 million effort that was cut from the budget the governor vetoed last year.
While the emphasis is on schools, Manar said the legislation had the potential to lay the groundwork for broadband expansion into rural communities.
A total of 40 percent of Americans in rural areas lack access to broadband internet, compared to just 4 percent in urban areas, a 2016 Federal Communications Commission report found.
“One of the ancillary benefits of this are, very clearly, when you put in a fiber line, you’re going to increase competition,” Manar said. “It’s going to increase access not just for the school, but everything in between where a current fiber line and where the school is today.”
McCann said the legislation could be a boost for rural businesses and help them compete in the digital economy.
“We’re focusing in the micro on schools. We want to make sure that every student in the state of Illinois has access to a 21st century education, not relegated to what’s happening now. But in the process, we believe that our communities, that commerce, that quality of life as a whole for all Illinoisans will rise.”
The bill is expected to be filed within the next few days.