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Back to State Broadband Offices

Wisconsin State Broadband Office

Wisconsin Broadband Grant Award Status

BEAD: ^$1.06 B

Wisconsin 5 Year Plan

Initial Proposal Approved by NTIA

Challenge Process Concluded

ISP Selection Begun

ISP Selection Complete

Final Proposal Released for Public Comment

Treasury Capital Projects Fund: ^$189.4 M

Treasury Approved

Application Window

Awards Announced

Wisconsin Broadband Audit

Access crucial data about broadband performance, broadband coverage, demographic insights, spatial information, and more at the state, county, city, or tribal level with the Wisconsin Broadband Audit.

Broadband Office Name:

Public Service Commission (Broadband Forward!)

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(608) XXX-XXXX

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Wisconsin Broadband Director

Alyssa Kenney

About Public Service Commission (Broadband Forward!)

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers declared 2021 "the year of broadband access," in his state of the state speech at the beginning of the year. Since then, Wisconsin put into motion plans to massively scale up access to high speed Internet networks.

The state’s Public Service Commission (PSC) oversees broadband grants.

Broadband Expansion grant application information is available here. The deadline for applying for the grants is 4 p.m. CT, Thursday, March 17, 2022 . $100 million is available. This round of funding comes from state funds.

In June, the PSC opened up its American Rescue Plan Broadband Access Grant program, which also offered up $100 million. The program follows the Treasury's interim final rule and guidelines. The PSC received 242 applications that requested more than $440 million for internet expansion, Wisconsin Public Radio reported.

Wisconsin has developed its own statewide broadband maps with different layers to show how Wisconsin is or isn't, being served with high speed Internet access. Grants applicants can also see map coverage of preliminary broadband expansion grant "unserved" and "underserved" areas as defined by the U.S. Treasury Department. However, the PSC has stipulated that upon completion, the proposed service should offer at least 100x100 Mbps service.

The Governor's Taskforce on Broadband access released a report this June with recommendations and strategies on how to expand broadband access in the state. The report contains timelines and goals for specific kinds of broadband network rollout guidelines

From the report, which included recommendations to:

Increase funding for the Broadband Expansion Grant Program to help offset the costs for internet service providers and other applicants to serve difficult to reach areas
Establish a State Internet Assistance Program to lower the cost to obtain service and aid low-income families in sustaining internet service;
Create a Planning and Implementation Grants Program to help regions and communities plan for broadband expansion
Increase construction and permitting coordination to streamline the process for providers to expand in a community -Collect internet access data from all ISPs at a household and business level of granularity to clarify who has reliable, high-speed access; -ncrease broadband consumer protections and pricing transparency so that people know what service they should expect and get what they are paying for
Develop and fund a Statewide Digital Navigator program to assist people who are underserved due to inadequate service and solve a wide range of internet adoption issues.

The PSC estimates that more than 670,000 Wisconsin residents don't have access to 25x3 Mbps service.
Governor Evers has also funneled federal funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) and ARPA to PSC to award more than $105.3 million for 94 projects in more than 42 counties and three tribal communities.

His office claims that altogether, all this is going to result in more than 300,000 homes and businesses getting new or improved broadband services.

Wisconsin Broadband Articles

Wisconsin opens up applications for BEAD subgrants!

January 13, 2025

The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSCW) has officially opened the application process for those ISPs and community organizations seeking money through the first round of its BEAD subgrants. Eligible entities with an approved Letter of Intent (LOI) can now apply for funding through the BEAD Grant Award Management Platform developed by CostQuest, which appears to be an invitation-only platform. See attached documentation below for more info on it.Applications for priority (fiber) and non-priority (other technologies) projects will be accepted until February 25, 2025, at 4:59 p.m. Central Time. Program OverviewThe BEAD program has allocated $1,055,823,574 to Wisconsin, based on FCC maps identifying underserved locations. Funds will be used to deploy broadband infrastructure, including fiber-optic networks and other qualifying technologies, capable of delivering internet speeds of at least 100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload.Key Dates and Application ProcessThe application portal opened on January 13, 2025, at 8:00 a.m. CT. Only entities that submitted and gained approval for an LOI can access the platform and participate in this initial round. So far, that amounts to 30 different ISPs/orgs. The list includes a mix of national household names and more local/regional providers.1. 24-7 Telecom, Inc.2. AMG Technology Investment Group, LLC (Nextlink Internet)3. Bad River Band of Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians (Superior Connections)4. Bertram Communications LLC5. Bruce Telephone Company6. City of Superior7. Cochrane Cooperative Telephone Company8. Comcast Cable Communications Management, LLC (Comcastfi, Xfinityfi, Comcast Businessfi)9. Connect Holding II LLC (Brightspeed)10. CTC Telecom (Mosaic Technologies)11. East Central Energy (ECE Fiber)12. Frontier North Inc. (Frontier)13. Hilbert Communications LLC (Bug Tussel Wireless LLC)14. IBT Group USA LLC15. La Valle Telephone Coop / Richland Grant Telephone Coop16. Lemonweir Valley Telephone Company (Lynxx Networks)17. Marquette-Adams Telephone Cooperative18. Mediacom LLC19. Midcontinent Communications (Midco)20. Mount Horeb Telephone Company (MHTC)21. NEIT Broadband, LLC (NEIT)22. NET LEC, LLC (Nsight)23. Norvado Inc.24. Ntera LLC25. Pierce Pepin Cooperative (SwiftCurrent Connect)26. Sokaogon Chippewa Tribe27. Spectrum Mid-America LLC (Spectrum)28. Surf Air Wireless (Surf Internet)29. USCC Services, LLC (US Cellular)30. Wisconsin Bell, LLC (AT&T)Applicants must submit detailed project proposals outlining their planned network deployments, associated costs, and other required data.The PSCW’s scoring system evaluates proposals based on affordability, technology type, community engagement, and adherence to fair labor practices. Successful applicants must also commit to meeting affordability standards, such as offering symmetrical 1 Gbps service for $165 or less per month for priority projects.Eligibility and RequirementsTo qualify, applicants must have completed the LOI process and demonstrated the technical, financial, and operational capacity to deliver the proposed projects. Submissions must comply with strict criteria, including network design standards and timelines. For example, applicants are expected to complete deployment within 36 months of executing a grant agreement.Contact and ResourcesFor questions regarding the application process, entities can contact PSCBEADGrants@wisconsin.gov. Additional details, including resources and templates, are available on the Wisconsin BEAD Grant Program webpage.528893 (2).PDF