“Bridging Wisconsin’s Digital Divide”: Delivering new or improved high-speed internet to more than 410,000 homes and businesses

MADISON—Governor Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Public Service Commission (PSC) announced in a March 11 press release that more than 410,000 people in the state have received funding from American Rescue. Homes and Businesses Will Get More High-Speed ​​Internet Access Program Act (ARPA).

ARPA’s contributions total $43.2 million and will be used at approximately 16,000 residential and commercial locations. Since 2019, Evers’ governance has overseen PSC grants to help more than 410,000 locations gain access to improved broadband service, according to the release.

In a press release, Governor Evers expressed the importance of having high-speed internet.

“In this day and age, that means helping people log in to work, go to school, buy groceries, order prescriptions, see the doctor, connect with friends and loved ones, and more,” Evers said. “We must remain steadfast in our efforts to expand access to affordable high-speed internet across the state and permanently eliminate the digital divide that holds families and communities back.”

These efforts to increase high-speed Internet access are part of the PSC Broadband Grant Program, which began in 2014. The Capital Projects Fund Broadband Infrastructure Program is one of the PSC program systems.

“In November 2023, Governor Evers and the PSC announced that 124 applications requesting $221.6 million had been submitted to the Capital Projects Fund Broadband Infrastructure Grant Program, demonstrating continued strong demand for broadband infrastructure funding,” the release stated. .”

PSC President Summer Strand applauded the recent grant in a press release.

“I am proud of the committee’s work in awarding Broadband Infrastructure Grant Program funds to communities that have long suffered from underserved internet services and those hardest hit by the pandemic,” Strand said. “Thanks to Ever With the Governor’s investment, we are connecting more homes and businesses to reliable, high-speed internet.”

Evers Administration Leads Path to Digital Equity

Since 2019, more than $345 million in state and federal funding has been allocated to provide high-speed internet to Wisconsinites, according to the release. This makes Governor Evers’s administration the most accomplished of its kind in this area.

“In his most recent budget, the governor proposed allocating $750 million in state funding for broadband expansion to supplement federal funding allocated to the state in future years,” the release said.

Evers’ efforts to expand broadband aren’t limited to state and federal investments. The release also provides a brief timeline of the governor’s additional efforts to create equitable internet access.

• 2020: “Gov. Evers created the Governor’s Task Force on Broadband Access to advise the Governor and Legislature on broadband actions, policies and strategies to successfully expand high-speed internet in Wisconsin.”
• 2021: “Gov. Evers declared this year the Year of Broadband Access, and during that year, Governor Evers allocated $100 million in federal funds for broadband expansion, the largest single round of broadband investment in state history.
• 2023: “Gov. Evers also joined the PSC and the Department of Public Instruction in announcing the launch of the Internet Discount Finder website to help Wisconsin families find and access affordable internet.”

Biden’s ‘Internet for All’ initiative aligns with Evers’ goals

President Biden’s “Internet for All” initiative is part of his Invest in America agenda. The March 8 press release explains that the agenda will establish three grant programs that advance digital equity and inclusion.

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) accepted Wisconsin’s Digital Equity Initiative on March 8.

Last year, the PSC conducted a statewide listening tour for Universal Internet Service, which helped inform the creation of Wisconsin’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) and Digital Equity Initiatives. The PSC plans to begin implementing the plans this year, according to a March 11 press release.

Read more about the U.S. Digital Equity Initiative here.

Read a list of Wisconsin’s recent grant recipients here.