The group has been working with Frontier for several years, since the communications organization first received funding for a project in Carrollton. Greene County Economic Development Group later received $24.7 million in funding from Connect Illinois to help cover construction costs for four fiber broadband projects.
Pat Pinkston, an adviser for Greene County Economic Development Group, said it has taken time to get agreements in place, making it a long but necessary project to ensure the county's residents have access to reliable Internet.
"Every aspect of our lives is enabled and empowered by the Internet," Pinkston said. "Some areas of people's lives depend on having reliable access to the Internet."
Fiber broadband funded by Frontier already has been installed in Carrollton, and projects are expected to be completed soon in White Hall and Roodhouse. From there, the projects will branch out until a majority of the county has access to fiber broadband services through Frontier.
"We are on the path to having more than 4,500 locations across the county by the end of 2026," Pinkston said. "The grants were announced early last year and the agreements were finalized last month and that will allow them to move forward with the project."
Frontier will cover the cost of fiber for the main portions of Carrollton, White Hall and Roodhouse, while the grant will cover costs for the rural portions of the county.
Each community will act as a wire center for its rural neighbors and residents will be able to activate their service as soon as their lines are installed and come online.
The pandemic highlighted the need for access to quality and reliable Internet as people were sent home from school and work and asked to complete their responsibilities from home, Pinkston said.
"Fiber is the gold standard for speed and reliability," Pinkston said. "Many things wouldn't function without the Internet and COVID pointed it out. All those things were brought to the forefront when the pandemic hit."
A timeline for which areas of the county will be competed first has not been determined, though work is expected to be consistent and finish by the end of 2026, Pinkston said.
©2025 the Jacksonville Journal-Courier, Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
