AT&T, Charter and Frontier won broadband funding from the state of Wisconsin earlier this month for deployments in unserved and underserved rural areas. But the lion’s share of the $42 million awarded went to smaller local companies.
All projects that received funding will use fiber broadband.
AT&T was the biggest winner among the three major companies. The company won three grants totaling more than $2.3 million and committed to contributing a large percentage of total project costs – over $18.7 million.
Charter’s win was for $2.9 million and the company will contribute an additional $3.5 million to project costs. Frontier’s win was for $281,000 and the company will contribute an additional $377,960.
Most of the funding awarded came from the Capital Projects Fund: Broadband Infrastructure.
Funding for the program came through the federal Capital Projects Fund.
About $1.3 million of the funding awarded came through the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund.
Local Providers
Three local companies had the highest award totals announced this month. Those three companies and their winnings are as follows:
- Chibardun Telephone Cooperative won six awards totaling $12.6 million and will contribute about $14 million toward total project costs
- Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services, dba SwiftCurrent Connect won three awards totaling nearly $8 million and will contribute nearly $13 million toward total project costs
- East Central Energy, dba ECE Fiber, won two awards totaling about $7.2 million and will contribute an additional $8.8 million toward project costs
A total of 13 companies won funding. Those companies are:
- Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services
- Chibardun Telephone Cooperative
- Cochrane Cooperative Telephone Company
- Hilbert Communications
- Norvado
- Citizens Telephone Cooperative
- AT&T
- East Central Energy
- Charter
- 24-7 Telcom
- Frontier
- Wittenberg Telephone Company
- Union Telephone Company
Additional details about the Wisconsin broadband awards can be found at this link.
Additional information about Wisconsin broadband, including links to state funding resources and state-specific Telecompetitor coverage, can be found on the Telecompetitor Broadband Nation page for the state.
