$300K Awarded To City Of Harvey For High-Speed Internet Access

HARVEY, IL — Faster internet access could soon come to the residents of Harvey after $300,000 was awarded to the city in order to help them develop a plan to ensure access to high-speed internet across town, State Sen. Napoleon Harris, a Democrat from the city, said this week. Harvey is one of 12 communities across the state to receive the $300,000 through the Illinois Connected Communities grant program.

Half of the money will come from state-funded grants and the other half from supporting groups, Harris said.

"In 2020, broadband internet access is as important as basic utilities," he said. "I applaud the city of Harvey for understanding that and applying for the Illinois Connected Communities grant program."

He said faster internet is even more important in the age of coronavirus, and where e-learning has quickly become part of society.

"For now, evidence shows that blended learning will be the new norm—it’s important we start working now to make sure the digital divide isn’t a burden on our students’ success," he said.

Harvey Mayor Christopher Clark agreed, calling "digital equity" a priority. The grant Harvey applied for 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.

"We believe broadband access is just as important as utilities like water, gas and electricity," Clark said. "Harvey has been on the wrong side of the digital divide. This grant gives us the opportunity–and the strategy–to right that wrong."

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, Park Forest-Chicago Heights School District 163, Region 1 Planning Council (Winnebago County and City of Rockford) and the village of Flanagan are the other entities receiving the grant.

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