Broadband expansion in rural Wisconsin to lay the groundwork for future high-speed development

A broadband expansion project in Fond du Lac County (WI) aims to increase access to high-speed internet for rural residents while also laying the foundation for further internet connectivity. The county will be the prime issuer of $80 million in bonds to support a multi-county broadband expansion project by Bug Tussel Wireless, LLC. The Fond du Lac County Board has approved a resolution to enter an agreement with Bug Tussel and subsequent intergovernmental agreements between the counties benefiting from the project. Those counties include Waushara, Iron, Wood, Marathon and Jackson, which will each guarantee their portion of the debt. The Fond du Lac County portion of the project will include roughly 160 miles of fiber optic cable, six wireless broadband towers and 10 cellular service towers also providing broadband. It will primarily focus on the “middle mile,” which connects the core network to a local network plant. Conversely, the “last mile” connects homes and businesses to the core network. Applying providers will be required to submit a list of deliverables, such as a timeline, because the county wants every home to have access to high-speed internet as soon as possible. The project is anticipated to be completed by 2022.