PSC: Broadband plan for southeast Wisconsin launching February 7th

Contact: Kristin Ruesch or Matthew Pagel, 608-266-9600

Kristin.Ruesch@Wisconsin.gov or Matt.Pagel@Wisconsin.gov

Participation by Residents and Leaders Requested

Madison – A team of Southeast Wisconsin community leaders, working together with the Public Service Commission (PSC) is striving to fill gaps in broadband (high speed Internet) availability and improve adoption of available broadband services in the region. The Southeast Wisconsin Regional Broadband Planning Team, have scheduled a public meeting to facilitate discussion between broadband providers, broadband users, government officials as well as the general public.

Team Member Daniel Honore, Director of Information Services for the Kenosha Unified School District noted, “Broadband is as needed today as electricity was in 1930. Broadband is critical for public safety, education, health care, employment searches and community engagement – all elements that contribute to a high quality of life in a community.

The public meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, February 7 from 3:00 to 5:00 pm in the Mount Pleasant Village Hall, 8811 Campus Drive, Mount Pleasant, WI. The purpose of the meeting is to launch initiatives to fill in gaps in broadband availability and improve adoption of available broadband services. Light refreshments will be served.

The agenda is as follows:

3:00 p.m. Welcome and Overview

3:15 p.m. Identification of Gaps

3:30 p.m. Broadband Service Provider Panel

4:45 p.m. Call to Action: Where We Go From Here

The Southeast Wisconsin Regional Broadband Planning Team includes representatives from education, health care, business, libraries, regional planning and more. The team’s goal is to elicit public and private investment of time and money for more broadband adoption and deployment in the region. The team has developed a draft plan, available online at http://www.link.wisconsin.gov) is designed to enhance the regional economic development and quality of life by refining understanding of broadband service gaps and potential actions to close those gaps. One purpose of the public meeting is to recruit people interested in helping to move the plan forward, and help bring broadband to the region.

Maps of where broadband exists across the state are online at http://wi.linkamericadata.org. The Southeast Wisconsin regional plan is available online at http://www.link.wisconsin.gov or by contacting Peter Jahn at 608-267-2338. Those without Internet access can view the maps and regional plan at a local library or other facility with public computers.

In case of inclement weather, the meeting will be rescheduled for Feb. 13th. Call 608-267-1338 for information if the weather is questionable.