Past Planning Meetings

If you would like to meet with Barbara Webster, Southeast Central eTeam Coordinator, please email her with your request.

7/12/12 - A broadband meeting was held in the Clinton County Board Room in Carlyle. Sixteen community leaders and three staff members of Partnership for a Connected Illinois (PCI) attended the meeting. Broadband topics were discussed at length. Information was given on how to help residents find providers and also report areas with lack of service. Adoption was another topic. WiFi locations are being gathered as well as locations for basic computer training.

5/15/2012 - The first Southwest Central Broadband Planning and Action Meeting was held on May 15 at the Lewis and Clark Community College in Edwardsville. Thirty-seven community leaders met to discuss the region's high speed internet assets and needs. Staff members of Partnership for a Connected Illinois (PCI), also known as Broadband Illinois, facilitated the meeting. Leaders from the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Southern Illinois University, Lewis and Clark Community College, and Kaskaskia College assisted with organizing the meeting.

In addition to the group evaluating the Internet needs around the region, questions were answered about a variety of things such as new Internet builds and the state's Gigabit Grant. One interesting thing revealed at the meeting was that, even though there were a couple counties with some access issues, a large portion of the region has very good Internet access which needs marketed. Entrepreneurs and potential businesses need to know that the region is a good place to locate if they need high level broadband. In addition, more marketing to let people know about basic computer training availability is needed.

5/8/2012 - Eight Community Leaders, two PCI staff, and one ICN staff, were in attendance at a Bond County Broadband Committee Meeting.  Dave Mollet from ICN answered questions in regards to new build.  Barb Webster and Andrea Lester answered questions about the PCI project.  Sherry Koehler and Matt Buck from Greenville Regional Hospital attended and provided a brief oversight of their home health monitoring program and some of the inherent challenges of this initiative. Needs of the county were discussed.  Community members discussed how the county can serve as a facilitator to enable private enterprise to meet the communication goals needed in the county.  The Bond County Broadband Committee will meet again in near future.