The American Society of Civil Engineers rated Wisconsin’s infrastructure across 17 categories, including broadband, which was given a C- grade. Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR) reported that this was the first year broadband was included in the analysis.
The engineers issue a report card every four years, intended to identify infrastructure areas with critical needs and to keep things running smoothly where the state is already doing well. The feedback informs residents and policymakers of the status of the state’s infrastructure, reported WPR.
“A lot of times, people don’t know what’s going on with infrastructure unless something bad is happening,” said Ken Mika, a regional director for the engineering society and co-author of the latest report. “Nobody knows what civil engineers are up to until a bridge collapses.”
Mika said broadband received a C- due to “limited access and low speeds in rural areas.” He added, “We’re starting to realize that the older parts of the broadband network are not able to handle the latest and greatest speeds that are required for many of our new infrastructure as we become more of a data-centric society.”
The authors recommend a few areas for improvement to raise the state’s grade in 2028, including:
- Increase overall investment in infrastructure;
- Ensure that infrastructure is safe, reliable, and resilient;
- Monitor access and improve data collection.
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