Illinois’ planned expansion of broadband Internet access will create thousands of jobs, boost workers’ wages and help bridge rural-urban and racial divides in online access, researchers with the Illinois Economic Policy Institute and the Project for Middle Class Renewal at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign found in a recent study. In 2019, 83 percent of Illinois residents had access to broadband Internet. Federal and state investment is expected to connect 238,000 households, businesses and farms to broadband by 2026. In total, the researchers found, the investment will boost the state’s labor income each year by $843 million and create about 25,000 jobs, both permanent and temporary.
https://www.governing.com/work/illinois-broadband-expansion-plan-would-create-25-000-jobs
