Wisconsin will receive more than $1 billion in federal funding for its efforts to expand statewide access to high-speed internet, also known as broadband.
Gov. Tony Evers and Wisconsin’s Public Service Commission announced the federal government approved funding for the state’s plan to expand high-speed internet access for more than 175,000 homes and businesses.
The funding comes from the $42.45 billion federal Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment grant program, which supports states in expanding broadband to underserved parts of the country.
The program was created under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law signed by former President Joe Biden in 2021. In June, the Trump administration made changes to the program, delaying funding until Wisconsin submitted a revised broadband plan.
The $1 billion can be used to service all Wisconsin locations, which include large swaths of rural northern and southwest Wisconsin. What the program calls “Community Anchor Institutions” — schools, libraries and local government buildings — will also receive funding.
Fiber internet installation comprises 76% of the awarded projects. Fixed wireless makes up another 14% and satellite internet 10%, the Evers administration said.
Around 11% of Wisconsin locations do not have access to high-speed internet, according to a state task force report submitted to Evers and the state Legislature in June.
“Access to high-speed internet is a necessity for how we learn, work, and stay connected in the 21st Century, and as a result of this years-long effort to secure this approval, we’ll be able to help more than 175,000 homes and businesses get online across the state. That’s remarkable,” Evers said in a statement Dec. 2.
The task force credited recent improvements in broadband access to previous rounds of federal grants, totaling hundreds of millions of dollars. Between 2024 and 2025, the number of Wisconsin residents lacking internet at speeds of at least 25/3 megabits per second fell from 5.8% to 4.1%.
The Public Service Commission’s goal under the Wisconsin Digital Equity Plan is to connect all state residents and businesses to high-speed internet by 2030.
Francesca Pica can be reached at fpica@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wis. lands $1 billion to extend broadband to 175,000 homes, businesses
Reporting by Francesca Pica, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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