The event was part of the U of I System leadership's annual tour of the state.
SIU Chancellor Austin Lane welcomed the group to Southern Illinois.
"You will see some pretty fantastic facilities," Lane said, adding that the group would travel to the Poshard Transportation Education Center and the fermentation lab on the Carbondale campus.
Panelists for the discussion included:
Matt Schmit, director of the Illinois Office of Broadband; Aneta Thomas Lee, visiting assistant director of digital equity, inclusion and navigation in the Illinois Broadband Lab; Lynn Andersen Lindberg, executive director of SIU Research Park; Brian Chapman who works for Jackson County Board; Will Clark, chief information officer at SIU; Larry Lovel, superintendent of Trico School District; and Matthew Hickam, regional superintendent of schools for ROE 30.
Killeen told the group that the idea was to learn as much as possible about broadband.
Schmit said he was drawn to Illinois from his home state of Minnesota because of some interesting things Illinois was doing.
"We all recognize the need for broadband. We're on the cusp of being able to solve it once and for all," Schmit said.
Lee said they have a grant program to assist with better Internet, but it only works if people know about it. The organization is hiring digital navigators to do outreach and assist families.
Lindberg works with people developing small businesses as it is increasingly essential for them to have reliable Internet access in order to successfully operate a small business in the 21st century.
Lindberg helped acquire an investment to open a community broadband center in the Eurma Hayes Center in Carbondale. That did not get broadband into homes, but it gave people a place to access the Internet while waiting for broadband in their homes.
"We are putting the lessons we've learned into a document we can share with other counties," Lindberg said.
Chapman said Jackson County is one of a few Illinois counties who is putting ARPA funds into broadband. They have invested $5 million in broadband.
In the county, 8,160 people are unserved or underserved regarding Internet rates. After conducting surveys, a plan has been developed and Western Kentucky and Tennessee Telecooperative has been chosen as the provider for Jackson County broadband.
Clark said it became obvious to SIU what broadband was all about during the pandemic. SIU not only had students who couldn't access the Internet, they also had faculty and staff without Internet to do their jobs. They could work in their offices, but they had to bring their kids to SIU in order to do online learning.
But there are more than just geographical challenges across Southern Illinois.
Lovel said Trico School District has 850 students in kindergarten through 12th grade, 60 to 75 percent of them live below the poverty line. The district covers 250 square miles in Jackson, Perry and Randolph counties.
"To get a cell phone, there is one provider, Dollar General," Lovel said, adding that other providers are a 30 miles away.
Hickam's regional office of education covers schools in Alexander, Jackson, Perry, Pulaski and Union counties. At least 60 percent of each district's student body lives in poverty.
During the pandemic, Hickam was the superintendent at Du Quoin. They not only had students without access to the Internet, they also had teachers without access.
His students graduate from high school and go to universities who offer hybrid classes that combine classroom teaching with online work. Even McDonald's does online training.
While a lot of school buildings are well-situated, a lot of homes are not.
Lovel said the same is true at Trico. They are also looking at how to keep up with purchasing new equipment. The district has grades 6 through 12 using Chrome books and younger students using Chrome tablets. A portion of them need replaced every three years.
Trico also provided 120 hot spot devices at a special price of $15 during the pandemic. They are still in use, but the price is expected to rise to $35 or $40 per month.
"The need continues. We will find the money to continue," Lovel said.
Killeen asked those attending to recognize the passion and commitment of those on the panel to solving the broadband issue.
After leaving Giant City, the group traveled to SIU for more meetings.
©2023 The Southern Illinoisan, Ill. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
