COUNTY BOARD SUPERVISORS TO INTRODUCE RESOLUTION TO SUPPORT APPLICATION FOR PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION BROADBAND EXPANSION GRANT
February 17, 2022
County Board Supervisor Michele Ritt (608) 335-7484 or County Board Supervisor Patrick Downing (608) 527-2472
County Board
Tonight County Board Supervisor Michele Doolan (District 28) County Board Supervisor Patrick Downing (District 30), and County Board Supervisor Dave Ripp (District 29) will introduce a resolution that would commit matching funds for a Public Service Commission (PSC) Broadband Expansion grant application for approximately 1,000 locations in the Southwest and Western areas of Dane County.
If the resolution is approved, Dane County would be committing $1 million of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds towards the project (if the grant application is successful), estimated to cost approximately $10.3 million. Charter Communications will be applying for the funds, and would provide at least $3.5 million for the project. The application will be requesting a match from the State of Wisconsin for the remaining amount.
"We know there are businesses and homes in the County that do not have reliable access. As our daily lives and business shift more to the virtual world, we need to make sure everyone has the ability to participate in school, banking, telehealth, and run successful businesses," said Supervisor Doolan. "This is a great opportunity to leverage the funds the County received from the federal government to have a very real and lasting impact on the residents of Dane County."
In 2021 Dane County received $106 million allocation of the federal ARPA funds. These funds can be used for infrastructure improvements, which includes broadband expansion. Funds must be allocated by December 31, 2024, with projects completed by December 31, 2026. Dane County identified broadband expansion as a priority for use of ARPA, setting aside $5 million for this purpose.
"This is a great opportunity to get the ARPA funds out into the community as quickly as possible and improving the lives of our residents," said Supervisor Ripp
"We continue to hear from people that they either do not have service, or it is so poor that it is difficult to accomplish daily tasks that require online participation," said Supervisor Downing. "As funds become available, areas considered ‘unserved’ have been chosen to be next in line. There are folks here that have no service at all. I’m hopeful we will be able to help them gain this access."
The PSC Broadband Expansion grant program was first created in 2013 to help meet the demand for improved broadband and encourage development in Wisconsin’s unserved and underserved areas. In November 2021, Governor Evers announced that the PSC would make $100 million available for the next round of the State Broadband Expansion Grant Program. Applications are due March 17, 2022 for this round of grant funding.
The resolution will be introduced at the February 17 County Board meeting, and will be available here on February 18: https://dane.legistar.com/Legislation.aspx