Ready to download in your pants? The state just got close to $6M for affordable high-speed internet access. It’s coming directly from the federal government, too!
Here’s Five Fast Facts About Wisconsin’s New Internet Grant:
- 🖥️Cashflow - The money is coming from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), which is part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law President Biden signed into approval in 2021. Get ready to put those leftover “I did that” stickers on your new modem.
- 🖱️It’s a Plan - The grant has put a five-year “digital equity plan” in motion that helps prepare for future grant funding for similar projects. “Digital equity” is just a way to make “Internet for all” sound fancy.
- 💻Wi CARES - The state has already awarded around $340M toward broadband expansion, with $145M from the CARES Act and ARPA. A total of 387,000 homes and businesses have benefitted.
- 🖲️Fast Track - Those without 25Mbps download and 3Mbps upload will get priority.
- 🖨️Calm Down - Before you freak out, this isn’t free internet. It’s money that helps providers run lines and hardware so residents can have broadband access. If they don’t want it, they don’t have to pay for it.
🔥Bottom line: Broadband internet access has become a necessary utility. Without it, there’s no remote work, no remote learning, and no telehealth visits. Sure, Netflix and Web MD cancer diagnoses and being called racial slurs while playing Call of Duty is technically a luxury, but access itself is more important than many of us realize. Funding like this is a major step in the right direction.
Do you know anyone without broadband access?
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