The Cook County Board has approved an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) between Cook County and the NIU Board of Trustees which provides the county with assistance in technology-related initiatives involving regional public partners.
The agreement allows the County Bureau of Technology to leverage NIU expertise to explore network asset monetization under the county’s Asset Marketing Program as well as draft future broadband and networking intergovernmental agreements with regional partners. The contract extends from April 15, 2016, to Nov. 30, 2019.
The Cook County broadband network is the result of a previous intergovernmental agreement with NIU, as well as partners such as the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) and the South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association (SSMMA). These agreements allowed Cook County to extend the fiber optic lines that follow CTA tracks to county network core sites. From the core sites, the network then extends to dozens of county facilities throughout the region.
Specifically, NIU provided the indefeasible right of use (IRU), intergovernmental agreement, construction contract, engineering drafting and negotiation services necessary to expand the County 10G broadband network to Oak Forest, Markham, County Jail, Provident Hospital, Stronger Hospital and the Downtown Campus.
Additionally, NIU experts brokered a three-way agreement with the SSMMA and State of Illinois to allow the SSMMA to receive broadband development grant moneys in exchange for a County right-of-way on SSMMA broadband assets.
