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  "description": "The state says 30,000 locations are expected to remain unserved after federal deployments finish.\n",
  "path": "/wisconsin-fills-bead-gaps-with-60-million-grant/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-21T16:32:17.000Z",
  "site": "https://broadbandbreakfast.com",
  "tags": [
    "State Broadband Expansion Grant Program",
    "plans to serve",
    "conduct additional bidding rounds",
    "NTIA spokesperson pushed back",
    "NTIA to release additional guidance"
  ],
  "textContent": "WASHINGTON, May 21, 2026 – A $60 million grant round will target an estimated 30,000 locations expected to remain unserved once federally funded broadband deployments are complete in Wisconsin.\n\nThe State Broadband Expansion Grant Program, announced Tuesday, will fund construction projects serving areas that lack internet speeds of at least 100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload. State officials said the funding is intended to reach locations not slated to receive service through BEAD or other broadband programs.\n\n“Access to high-speed internet is a necessity for how we learn, work, and stay connected in the 21st century,” said Gov. **Tony Evers** , D-Wis. “With this latest round of funding, we're working to ensure these resources are available to every Wisconsinite, regardless of their ZIP code.”\n\nEligible applicants include telecommunications utilities, nonprofit organizations, and local governments partnering with broadband providers to expand internet access to homes and businesses.\n\nThe funding comes from underspent and returned money from earlier state broadband grant rounds, along with support from the state's Universal Service Fund, according to the Public Service Commission. Officials said Wisconsin's last two state budgets did not include additional broadband expansion funding.\n\n“Under Gov. Evers' leadership, we have made significant progress toward our goal of minimizing the digital divide in Wisconsin, but the work is not over,” said **Summer Strand** , chairperson of the Wisconsin PSC. “This next State Broadband Expansion Grant round will help even more people and businesses connect to high-speed internet.”\n\nThe announcement follows federal approval of Wisconsin’s final BEAD proposal, which plans to serve 175,464 locations using a mix of fiber, low Earth orbit satellite, fixed wireless and cable technologies.\n\nWisconsin was originally allocated more than $1 billion through the BEAD program but currently plans to spend about $696.6 million, roughly 66 percent of its initial allocation. The PSC is administering the program, with construction expected to begin this summer.\n\nThe state grant round comes as states continue adapting to changes made to the BEAD program last year. Revised rules enforced by the Trump administration pushed to reduce overall deployment costs, and resulted in fewer locations being served in some states.\n\nIn June, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration required states to conduct additional bidding rounds and expanded eligibility beyond fiber-only projects, allowing more technologies to compete for funding while increasing the emphasis on cost in project selection.\n\nAn NTIA spokesperson pushed back on Wisconsin’s assessment, saying nearly 25,000 of the locations cited are already being served through BEAD-funded satellite service and that the state risks duplicating federal broadband investments.\n\nWisconsin officials have separately urged NTIA to release additional guidance needed to distribute more than $300 million in federal broadband funding, arguing that delays have slowed implementation of the state's broadband plans.\n\nSince 2019, Wisconsin has allocated more than $345 million in state and federal broadband funding, providing new or improved internet service to more than 410,000 homes and businesses.",
  "title": "Wisconsin Fills BEAD Gaps With $60 Million Grant",
  "updatedAt": "2026-05-21T21:47:04.550Z"
}