The Public Service Commission (PSC) received 74 applications to expand broadband access. This has been ongoing with grants being provided each year. PSC Chairperson, Rebecca Valcq, explains how the effort to provide broadband services in rural areas is going and why it is so important.
“We have been doing this now since 2019 and have awarded nearly $340 million in funding for projects to bring expanded or improved service to more than 390,000 Wisconsin homes and businesses.,” says Valcq. “A predominant portion of those locations are in our rural areas.”
Wisconsin has a number of challenging areas to serve. From cranberry bogs and dense forests to steep granite that’s hard to traverse. The PSC has $14 million available currently under the state broadband grant program. Governor Tony Evers announced another round of broadband expansion grant dollars and proposed a $750 million investment into the state broadband expansion grant program. The Governor’s budget also includes a digital equity portion as it’s not just about access to the infrastructure itself, but also about affordable Internet service and adoption.
“I think the biggest challenge we face is not having an accurate map,” explains Valcq. “We need to ensure that we know exactly where broadband is needed and where it’s already available. For the past 15 years that has been really difficult.”
Another shortfall is Wisconsin’s weather creates a limited construction season. That is why PSC is working to schedule their grant rounds at times so that they can get the dollars out the door to recipients and they’ll have enough time to construct what they need.
Valcq adds, “We have communities that we look to as examples of how broadband expansion grants can help smaller communities thrive and live up to their full economic potential in a digital age. I look at Marathon County and the town of Cross as key success stories.”
There is a gap between rural and urban communities when it comes to broadband access. That issue is what she says motivates PSC to make sure they are deploying the money as responsibly and quickly as possible.
Jeanette Crowley says
Juneau county area, especially Lyndon Station and rural surrounding area, we are struggling here to get decent internet.