Help might be on the way from the federal government as rural Northwoods communities work to bring in more high-speed Internet access.
Angie Schreiber is Executive Director for Grow North Regional Economic Development. The Federal government has a pot of money called the Connect America Funds. Schreiber says funds have been allocated to specific counties. Providers are working on developing their build out plans...
"....this is federal money that providers Frontier, AT&T and CenturyLink have accepted. With that, they have accepted the criteria that they have to meet, and they have to meet going into rural communities...."
Schreiber says those three businesses will be working extensively in the Grow North Region over the next six years. According to Schreiber study of the FCC website, over the next six years, CenturyLink will spend more than $55 million, Frontier will spend more than $30 million and AT&T will spend more than $9 million with the bulk of the funds coming from federal dollars. The state also invested dollars in this region in a separate program.
Schreiber says a survey last year in the Grow North region named six communities to participate in a broadband survey, including the Forest county town of Hiles, Florence, Boulder Junction, Presque Isle and Manitowish Waters in Vilas county and the town of Three Lakes in Oneida county. Schreiber says that survey will help providers put in the infrastructure. Schreiber says providers must guarantee at least a 10 megabits per second.
