Wisconsin Public Radio

Leaders from the Biden Administration said access to high-speed internet will bring opportunity and dignity for residents of rural communities in Wisconsin and across the country. Tom Perez, White House Director of Intergovernmental Affairs, and Don Graves, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce, visited Dairyland Power Cooperative in La Crosse (WI) on November 30 to talk about federal money for broadband infrastructure. Dairyland is one of the recipients of the Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Grant, a program created through the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Republican lawmakers voted to eliminate Governor Tony Evers' (D-WI) proposed $750 million investment in broadband, saying the state would wait for an upcoming influx of federal broadband funding instead. The move by Republicans on the budget committee would mark the first time in a decade that the legislature hasn't set aside funding for broadband expansion. It comes at a time when the federal government is expected to spend between $700 million and $1.1 billion on broadband expansion in Wisconsin as part of the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

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Wisconsin government and industry stakeholders met to discuss how the state can best spend up to $1.2 billion Wisconsin may receive for expanding high-speed internet. The funding comes as around 1.3 million people in Wisconsin still can’t access or afford broadband service. Around 650,000 residents lack access to high-speed internet or speeds of 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload. The Wisconsin Broadband Office also estimates another 650,000 people statewide can’t afford broadband.

Rural Northwoods students who lack reliable internet at home will soon be able to connect to their school networks via a drone-powered cellular signal. A Wisconsin startup will be part of a state-funded pilot program in the Eagle River area that will test the use of drones as a way to expand internet connectivity into rural areas. It's a partnership between the new company Wisconsin Telelift and the Northland Pines School District.

In 2020, Wisconsin will provide a record amount of money for broadband internet in underserved areas of the state that need it for business, government and school. The $24 million the state is making available in 2020 through the Broadband Expansion Grant Program is the largest amount since the program began in 2014.

In 2018, Wisconsin was ranked 32nd for internet access, out of all 50 states. That ranking makes Wisconsin Broadband Office's plan to have internet acess for all WI residents by 2025 a lofty goal said WI State Senator Patrick Testin (R-Stevens Point). At the state level, Testin said the Public Service Commission (PSC) has created broadband expansion grants for small providers that typically serve rural and underserved areas. He said between 2014-2018, the state has helped connect more than 4,000 businesses and 75,000 households with high-speed internet.