Eau Claire County has received a grant from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, for a pilot program to provide high-speed internet in rural areas.
As the county’s information systems director Dave Hayden explains, the service will be out of this world.
“We’re going to pilot SpaceX Starlink low orbit satellite technology, in an unserved an underserved area of southeastern Eau Claire County, just south of Augusta.”
The pilot project will provide high-speed internet to 50 rural homes and businesses. It’s being supported by a $27,000 grant from WEDC, as well as funding from a group of healthcare providers.
‘We’re moving forward hopefully in the next couple of weeks, notifying the participants that we’ve selected and getting them connected,” said Hayden
Participants will be asked to fill out a weekly survey to gauge service and reliability over the year-long period covered by the grant. SpaceX plans to launch additional satellites, which Hayden says should improve service.
