HB4758 - Illinois Broadband Deployment, Equity, Access, and Affordability Act of 2022

• Establishes a statewide broadband service grant program administered by the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to fund construction and deployment of broadband service into unserved areas using state and federal funds.

• Restricts grants to private broadband providers only; prohibits awards to governmental entities or educational institutions, and caps individual grants at $10,000,000 per project or applicant.

• Requires a competitive grant process awarding funds based on applicant experience, financial capacity, project viability, network scalability, and ability to provide discounted service to low-income households, with priority given to projects demonstrating community collaboration and hiring of women-owned, minority-owned, and veteran-owned businesses.

• Mandates applicants submit detailed project information including service locations, infrastructure costs, evidence of community support, and number of households to be served; requires semi-annual progress reports for 3 years after project completion tracking service adoption rates and pricing.

• Exempts applicant trade secrets, financial information, and proprietary details from Freedom of Information Act disclosure; prohibits consultants with prior state broadband contracts from receiving employment from grantees for 2 years after engagement.