County representative highlights broadband funding effort and energy shortfall at NACO/UCCI conferences
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Summary
Mr. Newton, the county's UCCI representative, told the board he will continue pushing legislators for rural broadband funding after attending the NACO conference; he also said Illinois remains short about 3,000 kilowatts of energy, driving solar development.
Mr. Newton reported on travel to the National Association of Counties (NACO) conference in Philadelphia, participation in state and regional UCCI events, and his work on a national telecommunications committee that focuses on broadband. He said many rural funding programs face uncertainty and that he will continue asking legislators for additional rural broadband resources.
He described regional conference takeaways on energy, noting that "we're still short about 3,000 kilowatts of energy in the state of Illinois," and said that solar projects remain a prominent response to capacity gaps. The chairman and colleagues congratulated him on being named vice chairman of the UCCI executive committee earlier in the year.
Mr. Newton encouraged board members, especially newer members, to attend leadership and legislative conferences to learn about best practices and advocacy strategies.