Great Jackson County Broadband News!
At 5:21 p.m. Friday August 22, the Wisconsin Public Service Commission (PSC) posted a Notice of Preliminary Awards for Broadband funding under the federal Broadband Equity Access Deployment (BEAD) program.
4,559 Broadband Serviceable Locations are proposed to be served in Jackson County. Breakdown:
- 3,872 locations proposed to be served by Pierce-Pepin Cooperative with fiber to the premise;
- 677 locations proposed to be served by Brightspeed with fiber to the premise;
- 10 locations proposed to be served by Space Exploration Technologies (StarLink).
Minimum speed for all locations is 100/20.
Link to the map: https://maps.psc.wi.gov/portal/apps/experiencebuilder/experience/?id=a09ed2f175184454a3c8785a3490f545&page=home
Purple = Pierce-Pepin; Light purple = StarLink; White (SW, Millston & Hatfield) = Brightspeed
Next Steps
The PSC is accepting public comments on the proposal until Friday, August 29th at 12:00 Midnight. Please comment as soon as feasible because the website may crash on Friday afternoon.
It is critical for communities and individuals to officially voice their opinions on the preliminary awards through the official public comment period. This public comment period is our only opportunity to make our wishes known in the public record.
Please consider submitting a comment on the following webpage: https://apps.psc.wi.gov/ERF/ERF/comment/filecomment.aspx?util=5&case=BD&num=2025
Only 1 comment per person or entity is allowed. Example:
- Town Board can file a comment.
- Each member of the Town Board may comment as an individual.
Guidelines for comments:
A comment may consist of the writer’s personal knowledge or personal opinions only.
Potential points to include:
- Describe your need for high-speed internet access (i.e. education, healthcare, business, family use, etc.)
- Indicate why fiber to the premises is the best solution for you and other Jackson County residents.
- Encourage NTIA (National Telecommunications and Information Administration) to approve the preliminary plan.
Next Steps After Comments
The PSC must submit the proposed plan and comments to NTIA by September 4.
NTIA has 90 days to review and either modify or approve the plan.
Internet Service Providers have 4 years from the date of contract to complete the build.