(UNDATED) Wisconsin just secured more than $1 billion in federal funding to expand high-speed internet — a move state leaders say will help connect more than 175,000 homes and businesses that still don’t have reliable service.
Gov. Tony Evers and the Public Service Commission announced that federal officials approved Wisconsin’s final broadband expansion proposal, a key step in unlocking the money through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. With this approval, environmental reviews and engineering work can begin, and construction is expected to start in 2026.
For families still struggling with slow or unreliable internet, state officials say this milestone brings the state closer to closing the digital divide — something the Evers administration has been pushing for years.
“Access to high-speed internet is a necessity for how we learn, work, and stay connected,” Evers said, noting that the approval comes after a years-long effort and several late-stage hurdles that forced the state to rework its plan.
Wisconsin has already seen significant progress in recent years. Since 2019, the Evers administration has invested more than $345 million in state and federal funds to expand high-speed internet — the largest investment in state history. Those efforts have helped more than 410,000 homes and businesses get new or improved broadband access.
But leaders say more work is needed, especially as the state Legislature approved no new broadband funding in the last two budget cycles.
The newly unlocked federal investment comes through the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program, which is part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The program will support broadband projects across the state with help from more than $397 million in matching funds from providers.
Most of the projects — about 76 percent — will use fiber infrastructure, with the rest split between fixed wireless and satellite technology. The plan also calls for upgrading or installing fiber at community anchor institutions, including schools, libraries, and local government facilities.
U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin said the approval “brings us one step closer to putting shovels in the ground” and ensuring residents in every corner of Wisconsin can access reliable, high-speed internet.
Wisconsin’s proposal had already gone through two grant rounds, with nearly all eligible locations receiving at least one application — and 99 percent receiving bids for fiber-to-home service. But the process was delayed earlier this year when the Trump administration issued a policy change that forced Wisconsin to withdraw preliminary awards and redo the application process under new rules.
PSC Chairperson Summer Strand said the late changes created difficult choices but ultimately didn’t derail the state’s long-term goals. “We persevered,” Strand said. “The approval allows Wisconsin to receive crucial funding to support the buildout of broadband infrastructure statewide.”
After revising the program to meet the new requirements, the state submitted its final proposal in September. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration approved it on December 2.
Now that the proposal is approved, the state can move forward with environmental reviews and final engineering. Once those pieces are completed, broadband providers can begin construction — which state officials expect to start in 2026.
For residents still waiting for high-speed internet, the state says this approval gets Wisconsin much closer to filling the gaps and bringing affordable, reliable service to communities that have gone without it for too long.
