Champaign households to receive improved internet service

CHAMPAIGN-URBANA, Ill. (WAND)- Wi-Fi in over 350 homes in Champaign County will receive improved internet services in a bid to help low income households.

The Champaign County Housing Authority and Volo Internet + Tech, are working together to improve internet access and close what they call a gap in digital equity.

Volo is contributing over $130,000 for installations, training, and device management as part of the project.

Peter Folk, Founder and CEO of Volo Internet said, "It's critical. As you know, everything depends on internet these days - you can't go to school you can't get a job, you can't-- a lot of jobs you actually DO the work online, you can't buy tickets for something, a lot of times people even have to order food over the network so it's critical for pretty much everything."

Champaign County Executive, Steve Summers says the measure will also improve the broader community and its workforce, as more residents get access to improvement tools online like educational resources and job-seeking sites.

According to Volo, the new Extended Fiber offers speeds of up to 1000mbps, and pricing starting at just $49.95 per month.