Wisconsin toโข Receive $1 Billion for Statewide Broadbandโค Expansion
MADISON, WI – A considerable $1 billion in federal funding will be deployed to expand high-speed internet access across Wisconsin, state officials announced. The initiative, spearheaded by the Public Service commission of Wisconsin (PSC), aimsโ to reach approximately 11 percent of the state’s population currently lacking access, notably in northern, central, and southwest wisconsin.
Alyssa Kenney, โคState Broadband andโข Digital Equity Director at the PSC, emphasized โthe statewideโ impact of the investment. “There are locations throughout the entire state that are unserved,” Kenney told Wisconsin Public Radio’s “Wisconsin Today.” “We’re reallyโค tryingโข toโค reach every lastโค location as best โขwe can with theseโ funds.”
The โfunding willโ be distributed to a diverse range of internet service providers, including national companies,โค small telephone cooperatives,โข and tribal nations developing their own networks.โฃ Deployment will utilize a mix ofโฃ technologies: approximately โค76 percentโข fiber optic cable, 10 percentโฃ fixed wireless, and โ14โ percent satellite.
“Not everyโ technology canโ get to every โฃlocation,” Kenney explained. โข”Aโ mixโข of technology is vital for both resilience and for the geography of the state.”
Oneida County โขofficials highlight โtheโ importance of fiber โoptic infrastructure in tourism-dependent areas. Tony Pharo, executive Director of the Oneida County Economicโ Progress โฃCorporation, stated that fixed wireless is “not preferred” due โขto the county’s important seasonal population increase. He noted thatโค reliable internet โฃaccess can extend stays atโข secondโฃ homes by two โto threeโ weeks, boosting local economic activity. “That’sโ money being โขspent at our stores, our restaurantsโค and other services, and thatโข is a huge โeconomic help to the northwoods,” Pharo said.
The PSC anticipates project completionโ by 2030,โ with some areas potentially gaining access as early as 2027. Aโ map detailing current broadband service availability in โWisconsin can be foundโค here. The initiative is based on findings from โคa 2025โข report by the Governor’s Taskโฃ Force on Broadband โAccess.
