Greene County has moved a step closer to having county-wide broadband accessibility.
The Greene County Board voted during the regularly scheduled meeting Wednesday night to approve the full funding request of $250,000 by the Greene County Broadband Project.
In late January, the group signed a project agreement with Frontier that defines the commitment to make available fiber internet service up to 2 gigabits/second for all residential and business locations in the county within 24 months.
The total cost for this project is estimated to likely exceed $100 million. Frontier said at the time, they would do the project if the county receives an award from the Connect Illinois grant program in the first quarter of this year, and if the county can commit $1.1 million to the project.
Greene County Broadband Project officials say the $1.1 million would be due in 3 installments parted out until 2025, upon completion of the project.
They said following the approval of funding by the county board, the commitment from the county provides the foundation for the effort to raise the $1.1 million across the county for local support of the project.
According to their announcement, the Greene County Broadband Project team has been in discussion with school, city, village, and township leaders to provide information about the project, answer questions, and gain their support in recent weeks.
The group is also seeking letters of support and financial contributions from corporate entities and private citizens across the county.
They go on to say the Project team is very appreciative of the support from the Greene County Board and is hopeful that their leadership will encourage others to engage and support this historical project for Greene County.