With the help of two grants from the Federal Government, a $29.9 million grant will be used to expand infrastructure for broadband (very high speed) Internet connections to public safety agencies, health care providers, schools and community organizations in Wausau, Platteville, Superior, and the Chippewa Valley region.
The infrastructure grant will build more than 600 miles of fiber optic cable impacting 39 communities. Statewide, the network is expected to connect up to 182 institutions.
The smaller of the two grants ($2.4 million) will be used to support education and outreach in the same four communities and in the Menominee Nation.
In addition to the UW-Extension, statewide public and private partners include the University of Wisconsin System, WiscNet, CCI Systems Inc., the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin Department of Transportation and the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board. Each of the five locations also has local partners that have contributed time and money to the project.
Visit the UW-Extension’s Building Community Capacity through Broadband (BCCB) site >>>
Wausau-area Broadband Contact:
Mike Theiss Wausau-area Broadband Coordinator Marathon County – UW Extension 212 River Drive, Suite 3 Wausau, WI 54403-5476 Phone: 715-261-1246 mike.theiss@co.marathon.wi.us |