Wisconsin Broadband Infrastructure Projects Get a Boost from American Rescue Plan

Some 8,000 households and businesses in Wisconsin will be connected to high-speed internet access due to the American Rescue Plan Act’s Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund. In his January 2021 State of the State Address, Governor Tony Evers (D-WI) declared 2021 “the year of broadband access" in Wisconsin. Proposing a $200 million investment in broadband over the next two years, he sought to ensure every Wisconsinite has "access to reliable, high-speed internet.” In his 2019–21 Executive Budget, Governor Evers proposed an accessibility goal for the State of Wisconsin that by 2025, all homes and businesses within the state have access to high-speed broadband that provides a minimum of 25 megabits per second download and 3 megabits per second upload (or, 25/3 Mbps). This was the first time that a governor had established an accessibility goal for the state. As of May 2021, the state had awarded $78 million to 279 projects since the Wisconsin's broadband funding program was launched in 2014 under former Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI).