Efforts to bring broadband internet access to rural Wisconsin are getting a big boost from the federal government.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday that it is awarding over $65 million in grants and loans to 13 Wisconsin companies. The money will be used to expand the infrastructure for bringing broadband access to rural parts of the state.
U.S. Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI) says such expansion is an essential part in modernizing Wisconsin, and the additional funding will help bring access to over 30,000 homes and 1,300 businesses in the Badger State.
The funding comes after a July grant that provided $25 million in federal broadband funding.
An estimated 20-percent of the state doesn’t have access to high speed Internet services.