Wisconsin has spent more than $300 million on broadband expansion since 2019, but according to the Wisconsin Examiner, hundreds of thousands of residents are still without adequate service. The Wisconsin Governor’s Task Force on Broadband Access released its 2022 report on Tuesday, detailing coverage, gaps, and money spent.
According to a release from Gov. Tony Evers, funds have come from the state budget and federal aid through several COVID-19 relief bills and the bipartisan infrastructure law passed last year, providing service to more than 387,000 homes and businesses.
Gov. Evers said, “I want to thank the many experts, stakeholders, public officials, and industry leaders who have been working on this task force for the past two years for providing smart, strategic recommendations of steps our state can take to get communities connected by expanding the access, adoption, and affordability of internet for families, businesses, and folks across our state.”
Although the state has made progress, barriers to connecting everyone still exist. “Removing barriers to access, affordability, and the use of broadband are necessary to ensure that all can realize its benefits,” said Rebecca Cameron Valcq, chair of the Wisconsin Public Service Commission. “Making the investments and taking the steps recommended in this and last year’s reports will set our communities on a path towards getting all connected.”
Work to expand service is now moving on to the hardest-to-reach parts of the state with the poorest residents, reported the Examiner. According to the report, “better coordination of construction and use of middle mile routes within the state could lead to a more efficient use of scarce fiber resources.”
Although eleven middle mile projects received grant funding, facilitation between the owners of the middle mile fiber lines and the ISPs is necessary, noted the task force. The report also cautions that “the state needs to do everything it can not to waste the once-in-a-generation funding opportunity.”
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