August 31, 2010
Frontier Communications, which serves mainly rural areas and smaller communities, plans to spend more than $40 million to expand broadband service in Illinois over the next 12 months. “What we are trying to do is give people the flexibility to live and work anywhere they want and have the same telecommunication infrastructure as if they worked in Chicago,” said Maggie Wilderotter, chairman and CEO of Frontier. “It’s important for us to provide that capability in these small towns.”
The Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center (CEC) and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) launched the sixth annual Innovate Illinois competition on August 9. Innovate Illinois recognizes high-growth businesses in Illinois that have launched or plan to launch an innovative product or service. The four top companies will win a total of $80,000 in cash prizes. The CEC, an affiliate of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, will facilitate this year’s program.
The National Science Foundation (NSF), an independent agency of the Federal Government, invites eligible small businessconcerns to submit Phase I proposals for its FY 2011 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. NSF will support highquality projects on important scientific, engineering, or science and engineering education problems and opportunities that could leadto significant commercial and public benefit if the research is successful.
