JSI Applauds Connect Illinois Grant Winners

JSI congratulates the winners of the recently awarded Connect Illinois Broadband Grants. JSI assisted several companies with their applications, helping them win nearly $11 million in funding to construct state-of-the-art broadband networks in unserved and underserved communities in Illinois:

• Allpoint NetworX‘s $2.7 million grant will allow it to deploy up to 1Gb broadband to 926 premises, specifically 846 unserved households and 80 unserved businesses, farms, and community anchor institutions, located in Bond County and a portion of Madison County.
• Grafton Technologies, Inc. will use its $1.5 million grant build a fiber network to serve 460 unserved households and 124 unserved businesses, farms, and community anchor institutions in parts of Jersey County, including a low-income community considered an opportunity zone which requires long-term investment and job creation.
• Illinois Fiber Connect, LLC‘s $4.9 million grant will help pay for a broadband network that will serve a total of 844 premises, specifically 755 unserved households and 89 unserved businesses, farms, and community anchor institutions in Effingham County.
• Wabash Telephone‘s $1.6 million grant will serve 659 unserved households, businesses, farms, and community anchor institutions in parts of Clay County with 24 miles of fiber cable.

This first round of Connect Illinois grants provided $50 million to expand of high-speed Internet in Illinois. Applicants were eligible for up to $5 million per project and they are required to provide a non-state funding match of at least 50%. Illinois plans to issue another round of grants in the program later this year.

Our 100% success rate in the Illinois Connect Grant program builds upon JSI’s recent success in state and federal broadband grant programs. More than 60% of the companies that worked with JSI on their applications in the first round of USDA’s ReConnect Pilot Program won more than $150 million in grants and loans. JSI has also helped companies win grants in Michigan and Indiana.

With our record of clear success, JSI is ready to help broadband providers pursue critical broadband funding. Our depth allows us to help applicants with all aspects of state and federal grant applications, including mapping of potential funding areas, preparing the required financials, performing a competitive analysis of the potential areas, and shepherding clients through the full application process.

If your company is interested in applying for a broadband program in your state or for one of the federal programs, please contact Valerie Wimer or Cassandra Heyne at 301-459-7590 or Lans Chase at 770-569-2105.