Illinois Broadband
Deployment Council (BDC) Minutes
June 2, 2008
SPRINGFIELD (STRATTON
BUILDING) ATTENDEES:
Pete Wagner, Illinois
Commerce Commission; Angelyn Weihmeir,
AT&T; Bud Green, Illinois Commerce Commission; Deno
Perdiou, AT&T; Terrence Sullivan, Shiloh CUSD;
Ron Duncan, Shawnee Community College; Jody Johnson, U of I Extension; Michael
Gaines, Illinois Department of Public Health; Douglas Wilson, USDA-Rural
Development; Karen Lee, USDA-Rural Development; Deborah Seale, SIU School of
Medicine; Karen Poncin, Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs at WIU; Kathleen
Barnhart, Illinois State Board of Education; Marybeth Lauderdale, Illinois
School for the Deaf; Nancy Bradbury, Illinois School for the Deaf; David Rudd,
Century Tel; Doug Dougherty, Illinois Telecommunications Association; Chet
Olson, City of Rochelle
Staff Attendees: Carolyn
Brown Hodge (CBH), Ryan Croke (RC)
Aviva Gibbs, Illinois
Technology Partnership; Matt Brady, Nancy Moersch, IL
Foundation for Quality Healthcare;
Doug Power, NIU
Broadband Development Group; Katherine Dawkins, Digital Educator; Layton Olson, Howe & Hutton; Wendy Farley, Comcast; Ray Williams, DCEO; Frances Roehm, Skokie Public Library; Gabino Noriega, CPS; Victor Herrera, CPS; Charles
Benton, Benton Foundation; Deborah Strauss, Lumity; Alan Kraus, NIU Broadband
Development Group; Bruce Montgomery, Montgomery & Co.;
Staff Attendee: Marlena
Jentz
TELECONFERENCE ATTENDEES
Phil Wood, Verizon; Sharnell
Jackson, The DAWN Project Foundation; Scott Koteski, City of Rochelle; Terry
Madsen, Princeton; Brenda Matherly, Illinois Farm
Bureau; Kay Shipman, FarmWeek; Ray Cagle, Clearwire Communications; Wendy Farley, Comcast; Darcy
Davidsmeyer, Motorola; Joanne Johnson, Frontier Telephone; Colleen Dealey,
In-Touch Tech; Mike Wilson, CostQuest Associates; Lou
Mossos, Office of Attorney General Madigan; Pat
Schou, Illinois Critical Access Hospital Network; Michael Voyle;
Peggy Jones, Illinois Heart Association; Kim Harber; Michael Kozeliski; Karen
Archer Perry; Josh Shallenberger, Shelby Electric
Cooperative; Charles Benton, Benton Foundation; Robert Shults, Intel
Minutes from 6/2/07 were
approved.
Agenda items
RC: As always – we have lots to get through so please be brief.
$21 million FCC Rural Health Pilot grant
Kraus: We are still awaiting
support from the General Assembly to secure the 15 percent state match required
to receive funding from the FCC for this project. The Illinois Rural HealthNet consortium won the third largest grant nationwide
to connect hospitals. When the project is done, all of the facilities in the
state can be linked to an ultrafast statewide health care network.
USDA broadband programs
Lee:
Illinois telecommunications and technology companies are eligible to apply to
the USDA for grant and loan opportunities, some of which were reauthorized by
the most recent Farm Bill. A handout summarizing Distance Learning and
Telemedicine Loans and Grants, Public Television Station Digital Transition
Grants, Broadband Community Connect Grants, Broadband Loans, Weather Radio
Transmitter Grants was distributed.
Illinois Technology
Partnership
Gibbs:
The IL Technology Partnership is a group advocating forward-thinking tech
policy for Illinois. We want to stimulate investment in Illinois tech projects
and companies, and form a hospitable climate for innovators, venture
capitalists and the like. We are happy to partner with groups in the BDC
audience.
Illinois Innovation Talent
Tyszko:
The Illinois Innovation Talent pilot initiative is taking place across the
state and has a diverse set of partnerships including government agencies,
community organizations, and industry partners ranging from healthcare and
manufacturing, to transportation and information technology. It aims to partner
schools with community and business groups to tackle problem-based learning
challenges that involve technology and innovation.
Teledermatology
Earles: Dermatology is one field
of healthcare especially well suited for telemedicine in Illinois. Please
consider the value of telemedicine, especially in fields like dermatology, as
you make plans for broadband in our state.
IllinoisCLICKS
Roehm:
For 2 cents per citizen a year, Illinois CLICKS is offering a comprehensive,
user-friendly search engine from the country’s first search engines:
librarians. Thanks to State Rep. Elizabeth Coulson,
Lt. Governor Quinn, and others for your support. We need to make quality
content a priority in the digital age.
Computer Technology Hearing
Recap
Olson: Three subcommittees
met over several months to work on a vision for making Illinois the best
broadband state in the US. Each committee came up with a list of
recommendations for
Chicago 2016 meeting
Benton:
Please let me know if you’re interested in meeting to discuss Chicago’s tech
infrastructure readiness for the 2016 Olympic Games. Tech infrastructure
readiness has become an increasingly important criterion for winning Olympic
City hosting privileges.
Low-cost laptops for Illinois schoolchildren
Croke: Several schools in
Illinois and nationwide have begun adopting low-cost (under $400) portable
computers suitable for kids in elementary school. We developed the IL
Children’s Low-Cost Laptop Act (HB 5000) and are working with several
communities in the state to carry out laptop pilot projects.
Vince DeMuzio Rural
Broadband Pilot
Power: We are coming to the
end of our project timeline for the state-supported broadband project underway
in Macoupin and Montgomery counties. The project provides seed funding to an
Internet infrastructure provider in Macoupin and Montgomery counties.
Bronzeville, Woodlawn & Washington
Park WiFi:
Clark: We are working to
provide wireless internet service in some of the most underserved communities
in the city of Chicago. We’re not waiting for help from the government or
anyone else.
Northern Illinois Technology Triangle
Koteski:
We have worked with IDOT to complete a fiber optic triangle in Ogle, Winnebago,
Boone and DeKalb counties. In March 2009 the network should be fully
functional. Another county may be interested in getting involved. IDOT
contributed $2m to the project and the ICC has contributed $1m.
Event announcements
Carlini: Intelligent infrastructure
presentation on Sept. 30.
Now available on the BDC
“wiki” website
RC: Please visit
IllinoisConnect.org for frequent tech and broadband policy updates.