Wisconsin Announces $42M for Rural Broadband

The state of Wisconsin has begun accepting applications for $42 million in rural broadband funding. The awards will be made through the state’s Broadband Infrastructure Program.

Applications are due November 7 at 1:30 p.m.

The funding for the program came through the federal Capital Projects Fund. The funding was allocated to Wisconsin for the broadband deployment program in October 2022.

“We have come a long way to connect more homes and businesses to affordable, reliable internet service since the beginning of the pandemic, but barriers still exist for many in our state,” said Rebecca Cameron Valcq, chairperson of the Wisconsin  Public Service Commission, which will administer the program, in a press release.

Areas lacking service at speeds of 100/20 Mbps are eligible for funding. Awardees are required to deploy service supporting speeds of at least 100 Mbps symmetrically.

Applicants are not required to provide matching funds, but matching funds are a priority factor, according to a public service commission web page.

The Wisconsin Broadband Office is holding two webinars for interested applicants. These include:

• An overview webinar on September 8 at 11:00 a.m.
• A mapping webinar on September 14 at 1:00 p.m.

The state of Wisconsin previously awarded rural broadband funding through a different program, known as the Broadband Expansion Grant Program. Companies that won funding through that program include Charter and TDS Telecom, as well as smaller local providers.

For more information about Wisconsin broadband, including links to funding program information and news coverage, visit Telecompetitor’s Broadband Nation page for Wisconsin.