HILLSBORO — The Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) and the Montgomery County Board are teaming up to encourage rural residents to test their internet speed to secure grant funding for upgrades.
Illinois has been allocated $1.04 billion in federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) funds to bring high-speed internet access to households, small businesses, and community institutions that can’t get access to at least 100/20 Mbps or 1/1 Gbps service.
To make sure the grant money goes where it is most needed, the MCEDC and county board urge underserved internet residents to take the “BEAD Challenge” to run a speed test.
“It’s simple, but super-important,” according to MCEDC Executive Director Bill Montgomery. “Just go to BEADChallenge.org and click ‘Start’ to run a speed test, then click on ‘Click here for full instructions!’ to fill out your name, email, zip code, address, and speed you currently subscribe to, then click ‘Submit!’ Do that on three separate days to make sure your challenge is complete.”
Montgomery said test participants will be reminded by email to complete their second and third speed tests.
“Taking a speed test will help ensure that the Illinois Broadband Map accurately shows where there is and is not quality internet available to residents,” said Montgomery County Board Chairman Doug Donaldson.
According to an Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) audit, 29.8 percent of the households in Montgomery County have less than 100/20 Mbps access, which is the current benchmark for the BEAD program, an effort established in the 2021 Infrastructure Act. Of those underserved households, 10.6 percent (1,545) households in Montgomery County are completely unserved by broadband.
Editor’s Note: If you have gigabit fiber Internet service with providers like CTI Fiber, this test will not be quite accurate. Even SpeedTest is incorrect in detecting your speed if on gigabit fiber. We have that experience with this “speed test” and we have gigabit service at HLNF HQ.
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Jake Leonard, a broadcast media and journalism veteran, is the editor-in-chief of Heartland Newsfeed. Leonard is also GM and program director of Heartland Newsfeed Radio Network, wrestling editor and contributing writer for Ambush Sports, a contributing writer for My Sports Vote and Midwest Sports Network, and a former contributor to Bleacher Report and Overtime Heroics. He resides at home in Nokomis, Ill. with his dog Buster.
