The team at NIU’s Broadband Development Group has been fighting on the front lines of the digital revolution almost since the first shot was fired.
They helped pioneer cable television in northern Illinois almost 30 years ago, guided the creation of a city-wide computing network in Chicago and ushered several major corporations into the digital age. Today, they help municipalities, school districts, hospitals and other public entities provide better service by harnessing the power of digital communication technologies.
Over the last three years, the NIU Broadband Development Group has worked with nearly 50 clients across the state. Projects have ranged in scope from designing a fiber optic network to helping downstate Sullivan, Ill. (Pop. 4,326) manage its electric utility, to guiding the creation of a network of cameras that support the City of Chicago's homeland security efforts.
Recently, the group received a $20 million grant to design and build a statewide, high-speed network that will allow bring the latest medical technology to residents in rural areas of the state.
The Broadband Development Group also has worked with towns and counties across the state to help them compete in the global economy.
In a world where high-speed connectivity is increasingly crucial to so many aspects of business, medicine, education and homeland security (to name but a few critical areas), the NIU Broadband Development Group is working to make sure Illinois is not left behind.