4-24-12   Rotarians plan celebration of 90th; Mitchell talks about Connect SI
  Rotarians plan celebration of 90th; Mitchell talks about Connect SI Mona Sandefur, Benton Evening News Benton, Ill. — Benton Rotarians have less than two weeks to purchase their tickets for the 90th anniversary celebration taking place at 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 8, at the Benton First Methodist Church. The event is being...
3-7-12   Southern Illinois group first in state to file petition for Next Generation 911
  Southern Illinois group first in state to file petition for Next Generation 911 By Matt Courter, Olney Daily Mail Olney, Ill. — The county’s effort to implement Next Generation 911 service took another step forward earlier last month. The Counties of Southern Illinois (CSI) organization announced recently that a...

Glossary


What is IBOP-Southern?

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) awarded Delta Communications, LLC (dba Clearwave Communications) a grant to fund the building of a fiber-based network throughout a 23-county region of southern Illinois.
This network will provide Internet services and access to community anchor institutions in riral and economically distressed areas of southern Illinois. IBOP-Southern stands for Illinois Broadband Opportunity Partnership-Southern, and is the name of the awarded grant.
 

What is ARRA? (taken from recovery.gov)

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) was signed into law on February 17, 2009 in direct response to the economic crisis. ARRA provided a total of $7.2 billion to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service (RUS) to fund projects that would expand access to and adoption of broadband services across the United States.

The Act has three immediate goals:

  • Create new jobs and save existing ones
  • Spur economic activity and invest in long-term growth
  • Foster unprecedented levels of accountability and transparency in government spending
     

What is BTOP?

BTOP stands for Broadband Technology Opportunities Program. Its purpose is to expand broadband access across America.

 

What is NTIA?

NTIA stands for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. It is an agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce.

 

What is RUS?

RUS stands for Rural Utilities Service, a duty of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

 

What is a CAI?

A Community Anchor Institution (CAI) is a public service organization that contributes to the community’s greater good, i.e. a school, hospital, library, public safety entity, etc. Along with the construction of much needed middle-mile infrastructure, a key focus of this project is to connect the CAIs in our region. Our projected CAIs include 111 K-12 schools, 60 medical and healthcare providers, 28 public safety entities, 23 libraries, 9 community colleges, and one major university in southern Illinois.