Wisconsin Governor's Task Force on Broadband Access Report

This report details strategies for successfully expanding high-speed internet access to every residence, business, and institution in Wisconsin by 2025, including solutions to make broadband affordable for all communities. Among others, the Task Force report included recommendations to:

• Increase funding for the Broadband Expansion Grant Program to help offset the costs for internet service providers and other applicants to serve difficult to reach areas;
• Establish a State Internet Assistance Program to lower the cost to obtain service and aid low-income families in sustaining internet service;
• Create a Planning and Implementation Grants Program to help regions and communities plan for broadband expansion; Increase construction and permitting coordination to streamline the process for providers to expand in a community;
• Collect internet access data from all ISPs at a household and business level of granularity to clarify who has reliable, high-speed access;
• Increase broadband consumer protections and pricing transparency so that people know what service they should expect and get what they are paying for; and
• Develop and fund a Statewide Digital Navigator program to assist people who are underserved due to inadequate service and solve a wide range of internet adoption issues.

The Task Force, created during the COVID-19 pandemic, consisted of experts, stakeholders, and public officials who met virtually between August 2020 and June 2021. Brittany Beyer, Executive Director of Grow North Regional Economic Development Corporation, served as chairperson of the Task Force. Throughout the process, the Task Force received presentations from outside experts and comments from the public, which helped identify forward-looking broadband policies and initiatives that aim to close the digital divide in the state.