Progress Illinois

Thanks to timely public and private investments, the digital divide is slowly shrinking in Illinois. As part of the federal stimulus program, Congress allocated $7.2 billion in grants to fund broadband Internet projects nationwide. Illinois has benefited greatly, taking in almost $250 million in infrastructure and adoption dollars. Just this past week, Gov. Pat Quinn unveiled four of those projects, which his administration says will create 600 jobs and connect 1,000 institutions like schools and hospitals to the information superhighway. The state and private companies are getting involved, as well. Lawmakers in Springfield earmarked $50 million in funds from last year's capital construction plan to support broadband projects while communications companies like Frontier are expanding their own service.

Still, there's lots of work to do if Illinois wants to achieve universal broadband access. Statewide, roughly 35 to 40 percent of residents still don't have broadband in their homes, either because it's too expensive or not available locally. As Connect Illinois' interactive map shows, there are huge access disparities in rural and low-income urban neighborhoods. Even if someone in those towns can get online, Internet-access speed is also considerably slower. In June, the Pew Center on the States released a report examining "the challenging steps states must take to improve broadband access." Check it out here.

Given the opposition to federal stimulus legislation we've seen from Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Brady, it's worth noting that a neighboring state's high-profile GOP governor is now seeking nearly $435 million of those exact funds. Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels' administration is applying for $207 million in Medicaid funding and another $227 million in education dollars thanks to the $26 billion state aid package that went into effect earlier this month -- largely due to the votes of House and Senate Democrats and President Barack Obama's support. 

Brady, on the other hand, called the bill "typical Washington games" and said he opposed its passage. But the legislation will give state governments a much-needed boost. The Quinn Administration is seeking around $1 billion for Illinois, including $415 million to support an estimated 5,700 teaching jobs and up to $550 million in health care for the poor. Perhaps Daniels, a critic of the Obama Administration's stimulus programs, including the latest package, needs to give his would-be Illinois counterpart a call to discuss the fiscal realities state governments are facing right now.

The federal stimulus package, much derided by Republicans in Illinois, is doing wonders for the economy. The Congressional Budget Office released a report yesterday showing that the law created 3.3 million jobs in the second quarter of 2010 alone and may have prevented a double-dip recession. One successful program that owes its existence to the recovery bill is the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Emergency Fund, which has provided private employers subsidies to hire (for $10-per-hour) folks who are eligible. For Decatur's Ashlee Tate, as well as roughly 30,000 other Illinois residents, the Put Illinois To Work program has been a godsend. The Decatur Herald-Review reports:

"It's been three or four months now since I haven't tried looking for a job," Tate said. "This really helps out a lot as far as getting experience and having a reference if I find another job afterward."

Although Democrats on the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee have introduced new legislation that would extend funding for the TANF program through FY 2011, the threat of a Republican filibuster in the U.S. Senate means the chances of the bill passing before September 30 are slim. That's a big disappointment for Decatur Township Assessor Tom Greanias, who has taken on 16 temporary workers using the subsidies. "I wish I had money to hire them," he said. "I'll be approaching my board based on the success of some of these people that have really worked out well to ask for an increase in my budget to contract these people."

Even after the House voted it down last week, GOP Rep. Aaron Schock is continuing to promote his proposal to cut off funding for road signs that identify infrastructure projects funded by the stimulus bill. On Fox News' morning show today, he decried the Obama administration's "self-promotion and propaganda." Watch it:

What's wrong with Schock's proposal? Let's begin with the estimated "waste;" despite Schock's outsized claims, just .02 percent of the $28 billion spent on road projects was devoted to signage, according to ABC News. In Illinois, the total cost was roughly $665,000, a drop in the stimulus bucket. Moreoever, the signs are manufactured ... by American workers ... some of them even from Illinois. In other words, the government is commissioning a product that wouldn't otherwise be built -- the whole goal of the stimulus. (Fox News co-host Steve Doocy, for what its worth, grossly misinterpreted the ABC news report cited above in the interview with Schock.) It's also important to remember the role advertising plays in consumer behavior. "Stimulus works in part through expectations," writes Matt Yglesias, "so informing people about its existence is important."