After receiving tens of millions from federal government for internet upgrades, big telecom companies ask Wisconsin for millions more

Big telecommunications companies including Frontier and AT&T are asking the state for millions in the most recent round of broadband expansion grants, according to the list of applications submitted to the Wisconsin Public Service Commission. Many of these companies have already received tens of millions from federal programs to improve service in Wisconsin and across the country. Critics are wary of giving them more public cash. “My fear is that companies like Frontier, Charter and AT&T will simply use this money to substitute for their existing capital expenses,” said Barry Orton, a professor emeritus of telecommunications at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “As they have multiple times in the past, they could cherry-pick service areas based on revenue expectations, leaving their less lucrative Wisconsin customers unserved and underserved yet again.” In the current grant round in Wisconsin, Frontier, which declared bankruptcy in 2020 and is being sued by the Federal Trade Commission for deceptive business practices, is asking for more than $20 million. The company has already received nearly $185 million from the federal government to upgrade its internet service in Wisconsin. Frontier is widely reviled for providing poor service.