Talking BEAD Rounds, State’s Big Investment and More with Wisconsin Broadband Director

Wisconsin broadband director Alyssa Kenney acknowledges that leading a state broadband office might not be for everyone. But she described the job as exactly what she is looking for because it’s “challenging, exciting and feeds my need to be constantly learning. I’m reading 100 pages a day and as a bit of a bookworm, I love it.” As Wisconsin’s State Broadband and Digital Equity Director, Kenney leads a team of 22 professionals in the state’s broadband office, which will be responsible for awarding $1.06 billion in rural broadband deployment funding. Kenney describes Wisconsin as a broadband-friendly state. “Since the broadband office opened, the state has funded 434 broadband projects, with more than 200 still in progress today,” said Kenney. All of these past projects, Kenney explained, have served to essentially prepare the skilled workforce that will be required as the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment projects roll out.  “Our [state’s] workforce is ready,” she said.