Wisconsin did not get to be 43rd worst in the country for broadband access by offering too much affordable access to broadband. We need more options, not fewer. But a last-minute Joint Finance Committee change to the state budget bill would reduce options, increase costs to local taxpayers, jeopardize world-class research at the University of Wisconsin and threaten the growth of jobs and businesses in rural Wisconsin by requiring UW-Extension to return $32.3 million in federal grants designed to expand broadband access and education to several underserved areas.
Office of Strategic Communication