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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING TEMPORARY USE OF COUNTY FIBER FOR THE THREAD RESEARCH AND EDUCATION NETWORK AT SC26
WHEREAS, Cook County owns and controls a fiber optic network of approximately 70 miles extending from Chicago's Loop to the County's southern border; and
WHEREAS, the Cook County Policy Roadmap 2024-2027, under its Connected Communities pillar, Strategy 2.2, directs the County to invest in and integrate high-speed broadband and connectivity opportunities through infrastructure projects and partnerships; and
WHEREAS, THREAD (Terrestrial Hybrid Research Edge & Distribution) is a multi-partner initiative that connects community-serving institutions to advanced research and education networks by combining existing public and partner infrastructure, beginning with five sites across Chicago and Cook County; and
WHEREAS, THREAD partners, including Moraine Valley Community College, the Illinois Century Network ("ICN"), QTS Data Centers, Arista Networks, and SCinet, are contributing facilities, hosting, equipment, engineering, and technical expertise on an in-kind basis; and
WHEREAS, the County can contribute to THREAD by making available four (4) existing, unused County fiber strands, configured as two (2) pairs, between Moraine Valley Community College, Blue Island and the County/ICN interconnection area near Interstate 57 and 95th Street, as generally depicted in Exhibit A, establishing a pathway to 100 gigabit per second research and education connectivity through ICN to national research networks; and
WHEREAS, Chicago will host SC26, the International Conference for High-Performance Computing, Networking, Storage, and Analysis, at McCormick Place from November 15 through November 20, 2026, where volunteers will build SCinet, one of the world's fastest temporary networks, and the Blue Island site will serve as the first public demonstration of THREAD; and
WHEREAS, the effort County's participation would put an existing public asset to greater public use without building a new network and provides a working case study to guide how the County manages and leverages its fiber network; and
WHEREAS, the County's participation positions Cook County as a regional and national leader in using public infrastructure to expand opportunity, with visibility before an international audience of researchers, educators, and technology leaders at SC26; and
WHEREAS, no new County appropriation, grant, reimbursement, capital contribution, or operating subsidy, is required in order for the County to provide the temporary use of these strands and the County will retain full ownership and control of its fiber; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Cook County Board of Commissioners, that Cook County’s Bureau of Technology is hereby authorized to allow THREAD the temporary use of four (4) strands of existing County fibers through December 31, 2026, and enter into any required use agreements related to this authorization.end