Illinois community, snubbed by incumbents, fashions public-private partnership for fiber

Community leaders in Kendall County, Illinois, just southwest of the Chicago area, wanted better broadband for their 130,000 residents. So, they approached the companies that were already providing broadband to some of the area and asked how they could help expand and exhance their service. Zach Bachmann, chairman of the Connect Kendall County Commission, said the responses they received were "smug".

“They didn’t come there to be a partner,” said Bachman. “They said, ‘No we don’t have a plan for baseline affordability. No, we won’t connect your anchor institutions. We’re doing our own thing, bye.’”

So the county decided to issue an RFP to identify a company that would work with them. They found a partner - Pivot-Tech - to make it happen. As a result, Pivot-Tech and the county have set up a non-profit organization to serve as the project company. They non-profit will use tax-free revenue bonds to finance the build, which will include both fiber and fixed wireless access.

Congratulations to Kendall County for taking ACTION to improve the lives of their residents. For more on the Kendall County story, which was featured at Mountain Connect, CLICK HERE to read the article at Fierce Network.