BROADBAND PLANNING
The West Central Wisconsin Broadband Alliance is a collaboration of business, educational, governmental, non-profit, and citizens partners who meet regularly to advocate for broadband expansion and adoption. The Broadband Alliance (f/k/a West Central WI Broadband Implementation Group) grew out of a 2010-2011 regional planning effort coordinated by the Wisconsin Public Service Commission. With WCWRPC coordination support, Alliance members have continued to meet regularly since 2011 to advance broadband investment, to connect resources and partners, to share lessons learned, and to provide a roadmap to help unserved and underserved areas get the broadband service they need. In 2020, the Broadband Alliance began conducting joint meetings with the Momentum West Broadband Committee, further strengthening the partnership. This webpage highlights the Community Toolkit and Fact Sheets created through the Alliance’s partnership and invites you to join us.
Current Broadband Alliance Goals
The Alliance is currently working towards the following priority goals:
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Educate elected officials/policy makers and the public on broadband-related challenges, needs, tools, and its importance.
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Engage and bring together broadband advocates, partners, resources, etc.
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Collect and share data and maps on the region’s broadband service levels and assets.
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Provide tools, resources, and information to build the capacity of local champions to educate and take action in their community.
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Market broadband availability as an economic growth and workforce development tool. Encourage remote workers to relocate to West Central Wisconsin.
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Broadband Expansion Tools for Local Communities
Originally created by WCWRPC and the Alliance in 2018, and updated in 2021, this toolkit is a checklist of potential tools and resources that communities and organizations may use to encourage the expansion of broadband infrastructure. The toolkit was most recently amended in October 2023.
Click here to download the current tookit.
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UW-Madison Extension also created a web-based broadband planning toolkit on brodband data and mapping, an ISP directory, community engagement tools, and other strategies available at: https://economicdevelopment.extension.wisc.edu/broadband-toolkit/
Broadband Fact Sheets
In 2022, WCWRPC and the Alliance partnered to create a series of
Broadband Fact Sheets that can be downloaded below and used
for educational purposes. These fact sheets were recently updated
in March 2024 to reflect recent changes in the information provided.
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Broadband Expansion Grants & Loan Programs for Municipalities
Broadband grant opportunities continue to change and additional opportunities may be available (e.g., BEAD, Digital Equity Outreach). The above list also doesn't include grant programs that have only been available to Internet Service Providers (e.g., RDOF, enhanced A-CAM). To stay up-to-date, the following weblinks are great sources for the current Federal and State broadband grant programs:
For Federal grant programs, visit: https://broadbandusa.ntia.doc.gov/resources/federal/federal-funding
For State grant programs, visit: https://psc.wi.gov/Pages/ServiceType/Broadband/GrantPrograms.aspx