Wisconsin will received $1.06 billion for expansion of broadband internet, according to a White House announcement.
A total of $42 billion is being distributed nationwide from funds approved as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Broadband Equity Access and Deployment program.
White House Infrastructure Coordinator Mitch Landrieu said it is the largest-ever investment in broadband service and compared it to the rural electrification push of the 1930s.
Wisconsin will receive funding in two stages. The first 20% will be awarded by the state through competitive grants expected in the summer of 2024. The remaining 80% will be awarded in 2025.
The federal government spent 18 months mapping broadband access state by state, with the goal of using these funds to achieve universal broadband access by 2030. Landrieu said that in Wisconsin, 253,000 homes and small businesses either had no high-speed internet or lacked access to “minimally acceptable” speeds.
