School District 163 Awarded Grant For Faster Internet Service

PARK FOREST, IL — Faster internet access could soon come to students and families in the Park Forest-Chicago Heights School District 163 after $14,900 was awarded to the district in order to help them develop a plan to ensure access to high-speed internet across town.

District 163 is one of 12 entities across the state to receive funding through the Illinois Connected Communities grant program. Nearby, the city of Harvey also received some grant money.

The $14,900 grant money was confirmed by Erika Johnson, director of instructional services and grants in District 163 after a larger amount was reported earlier.

State Sen. Patrick Joyce, a Democrat from Park Forest, said the grant is especially important given the current state of the world still amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“People living in rural areas deserve reliable internet access,” Joyce said. “Especially during this pandemic, when working and learning from home has become the norm, it’s important that we expand broadband internet service so no community is left behind.”

The grant fund was created to help provide faster internet service to underserved areas. It's a $420 million program that seeks to bring basic internet access to all communities in the state by the end of 2024. A second round of grants are expected to come later this year, Joyce said.

In addition to District 163 and Harvey, grants were awarded to Brown County School District 1, the Housing Authority of Champaign County, Leadership Council Southwestern Illinois, Mattoon School District 2, McKinley Park Development Council, Mercer County Better Together, Neighborhood Network Alliance, Palatine School District 15, Region 1 Planning Council (Winnebago County and city of Rockford) and the village of Flanagan.

They will all get 50 hours of free consulting on the issue as well.