Evanston to add high speed internet through grant funding

It has been reported that a $1 million grant is set to turn the town of Evanston into a ‘gigabit community’ with the funds being used to add ultra high speed internet to the town.

High speed internet is one of the key things that can attract new businesses to an area these days, as most businesses have become so reliant on speedy and efficient broadband services. This is something that the town of Evanston has recognised, and in a bid to bring in new businesses as well as to benefit existing ones, the town is gearing up for the rollout of ultra fast broadband.

Gov. Pat Quinn stated recently that he wants to turn the town into a ‘gigabit community’ through the use of a $1 million grant, which was awarded through the Illinois Gigabit Communities Challenge. The $1 million grant will create hundreds of access points across the town to provide access to a gigabit Internet service.

Quinn spoke recently in Chicago, where he was also joined by a number of business professionals, students, and others. He explained that a year ago he wouldn’t even have known what a gigabit community was. He added: “But it really is ultra high-speed Internet — 100 times faster than what we’re used to today.”

He also spoke about the town’s many start-up tech businesses such as app developers and how high speed internet could help to ensure that these businesses were able to continue operating in Evanston. He said: “Do we want them going to Silicon Valley? That’s a fine place to visit, but we want them to stay right here in Evanston, in Illinois to create apps that will help make life better in the 21st century.”