Contact: Matthew Pagel, (608) 266-9600
Participation by Residents and Leaders Requested
Madison – The Public Service Commission (PSC) announced that a public meeting of Grow North will be held on Wednesday, November 9, from 8:00 am to 9:30 am at the Eagle River Inn, 5260 Highway 70 West in Eagle River. In part, this meeting will launch initiatives adopted by the Region 2 team of LinkWISCONSIN which the PSC has been guiding through a state-wide broadband initiative process. The Region 2 draft plan is designed to fill in gaps in broadband (high-speed Internet) availability and improve adoption of available broadband services. Those attending the meeting will have the opportunity to interact with team members and to start advancing broadband projects of their own. Light refreshments will be served.
The Region 2 team is comprised of North Central Wisconsin community leaders, working to identify ways to fill in gaps in broadband availability and improve adoption of available broadband services. The planning team included representatives from local and country government, education, health care, business, libraries, regional planning and more. The team developed feasible concepts to elicit public and private investment of time and money for more broadband adoption and infrastructure to deploy broadband to more rural areas. The draft plan is designed to enhance the regional economic development and quality of life by initially focusing on expanding broadband access and adoption among second home owners in identified areas of concentration and density which possess the greatest chance for adoption and success.
Region 2 team member Three Lakes Town Chairman Don Sidlowski emphasized the high odds of achieving implementation because of the five-county approach. “We have counties, towns, organizations, businesses and individuals all committed to the success of this project because it is so common-sense and achievable. What we propose requires no great capital investment or new research. Rather it leverages existing infrastructure and known technology with a marketing approach that co-brands economic development and broadband. The concept has already been proven to be successful in a pilot program in one town in Oneida County and we’re simply rolling it out to the next tier of locations with the highest chance for success”.
A regional leadership team consisting of representatives of internet providers, education, businesses, and government will be formed and will meet later this Fall to act on the recommendations in the plan.
Maps of where broadband exists across the state are online at http://wi.linkamericadata.org. The North Central Wisconsin regional plan is available online at http://www.link.wisconsin.gov or by contacting Bart Lamers of One Prospect Technologies, at 715-369-1119. Those without internet access can view the maps and regional plan at a local library or other facility with public computers.
