Section 549.50  Dig Once Coordinator

The Dig Once Coordinator, housed within the DCEO’s Illinois Office of Broadband, is responsible for facilitating communication and collaboration among Committee members through the Dig Once Committee to achieve the Dig Once Outcomes. This position serves as the primary point of contact for the following activities:

a)         Managing and facilitating the Dig Once Committee, recurring Committee meetings, and related processes;

b)         Managing and overseeing a portal where Committee members can gain access to capital build projects, initiate formal agreement processes, view timelines, and receive status updates for current underground projects;

c)         Identifying and engaging relevant stakeholders, promoting Committee participation, and expanding Committee membership through outreach efforts;

d)         Acting as a liaison between current and prospective Committee members and state agencies including ICC, IDOT, and ISTHA and other agencies, as appropriate to further broadband deployment;

e)         Maintaining documentation of state agency capital build projects and schedules and making that information available to Committee members;

f)         Ensuring timely notification regarding available excess conduit or fiber to optimize resource sharing and broadband expansion efforts;

g)         Identifying and recommending best practices for formal agreements and assisting in the coordination of communications between entities;

h)         Overseeing the membership application process, managing daily member operations and membership list;

i)          Keeping non-public data and information, including but not limited to project maps and formal requests for information, confidential through Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs), as needed.  Additionally, DCEO will use its best efforts in protecting information designated as confidential, proprietary, or containing trade secrets to the fullest extent permitted under the Freedom of Information Act.  DCEO will consider all confidential information so designated presumptively exempt from disclosure pursuant to 7(1)(g) of the Freedom of Information Act.  If any party seeks to require DCEO, pursuant to any law, regulation, or legal process to disclose confidential information, DECO will provide prompt notice to the submitting entity so that the entity may seek a protective order or pursue other appropriate relief;

j)          Reporting on metrics such as the number of joint build and proactive installation agreements, miles of coordinated fiber deployed, and total excavation costs saved.