Illinois has advantages that made the shift attractive, said Tony Daniels, deputy director of the state's bureau of communications and computer services. The state was a data pioneer that established the Illinois Century Network, which was started to bolster education and soon spread to serve other needs of state and local governments. "We own much of the fiber" that carries network traffic, said Daniels. The state's transportation department buried fiber when building highways, he said. Download complete story in PDF format.
