The third annual report from the Governor’s Task Force on Broadband Access shows 79.9 percent of Wisconsin households have access to high-speed internet.
The report also shows how state funding has improved mapping of service availability and boosted access. The improved mapping will help guide the state as it invests $1.06 billion in federal funding from the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment program.
Among 2.3 million locations in Wisconsin, approximately 1.84 million (79.9 percent) have access to high-speed internet via fiber, cable or both. Only 1 percent of locations in the state have no access and 19.1 percent are underserved, meaning they have internet access but at speeds that are not sufficient for current uses of technology.
Adoption is often dependent on affordability. The average lower price for broadband in Northeast Wisconsin counties ranged from $43 per month in Shawano County to $50 per month in Brown, Outagamie and Winnebago counties. Counties with higher average lower prices also tended to have higher enrollment in the Affordable Connectivity Program, which subsidizes broadband access for enrollees.
Among the recommendations included in the report are:
- Support local communities through technical assistance efforts and ensure their involvement and participation in the rollout of federal funds;
- Ensure a sufficient and trained telecommunications workforce for internet service providers, contractors, and subcontractors to construct, operate, and maintain current and new broadband infrastructure;
- Improve mapping and data efforts by supporting local communities in their efforts to pursue, collect, and make meaning of local data; and
- Continue outreach and promotion of the Affordable Connectivity Program to reach the highest possible levels of participation in Wisconsin.
