(220 ILCS 80/20)

Sec. 20. Powers and duties of the Council generally.

(a) The Council shall:

(1) explore any and all ways to expand the availability to end-user customers of broadband services using available technologies, including, but not limited to, wireline, wireless, fixed wireless, and satellite applications;

(2) identify barriers to broadband adoption among the residents and small businesses of Illinois;

(3) research ways to eliminate barriers to adoption through measures such as: digital literacy programs; programs to assist older citizens in using broadband Internet access; programs to facilitate adoption by disabled citizens; and programs to encourage collaborative efforts among public universities, community colleges, libraries, public housing, and other institutions;

(4) assess the availability of broadband for low-income households compared to the availability of broadband for other households;

(5) explore the potential for increased use of broadband service for the purposes of education, career readiness, workforce preparation, and alternative career training;

(6) explore the potential for increased use of broadband services to facilitate aging in place;

(7) explore ways for encouraging State and municipal agencies, including public housing authorities, to expand the use of broadband services for the purpose of better serving the public, including audio and video streaming, voice-over Internet protocol, teleconferencing, and wireless networking;

(8) cooperate and assist in the expansion of electronic instruction and distance education services;

(9) as the Federal Communications Commission updates the benchmark downstream data rates and upstream data rates, publish the revised data rates in the Illinois Register within 60 days after the federal update; and

(10) evaluate the expansion of the Illinois Century Network to Illinois public schools, public libraries, and State-owned correctional institutions or facilities, including issuing recommendations for increasing agency staffing, infrastructure development, price modeling, and providing download speeds of at least one gigabyte per second and upload speeds of at least one gigabyte per second.

(b) In addition to the powers set forth elsewhere in this Act, the Council is hereby granted the powers necessary to carry out the purpose and intent of this Act, as enumerated in this Section, including, but not limited to:

(1) promoting awareness of public facilities that have community broadband access that can be used for distance education and workforce development; and

(2) advising on deployment of e-government portals such that all public bodies and political subdivisions have websites and encourage one-stop government access and that all public entities stream audio and video of all public meetings.

(c) The Council shall also:

(1) monitor the broadband-based development efforts of other states in areas such as business, education, aging in place, and health;

(2)receive input provided on a voluntary basis from all Illinois broadband stakeholders and advise the Governor and the General Assembly on policies related to broadband in Illinois, provided that no stakeholders shall be required to publicly disclose competitively sensitive information or information that could compromise network security or undermine the efficacy of reasonable network management practices, and that any such information voluntarily disclosed shall be protected from public disclosure; and

(3) serve as the broadband advocate to State agencies and other State entities to communicate the broadband needs of citizens and organizations that do not have access to broadband service or to broadband service adequate for their needs.

(d) The Council shall exercise its powers and authority to (1) advise and make recommendations to the General Assembly and the Governor on bringing broadband service to unserved and underserved rural and urban areas and improving broadband service statewide, (2) advise and make recommendations to the General Assembly and the Governor on facilitating broadband adoption by all citizens, and (3) propose statutory changes that may enhance and expand broadband in the State.

(e) The Council shall report to the General Assembly on or before January 1 of each year. The report to the General Assembly shall be filed with the Clerk of the House of Representatives and the Secretary of the Senate in electronic form only, in the manner that the Clerk and the Secretary shall direct. The report shall include the action that was taken by the Council during the previous year in carrying out the provisions of this Act. The Council shall also make any other reports as may be required by the General Assembly or the Governor.

(Source: P.A. 103-483, eff. 8-4-23.)