KANSASVILLE, Wis. — More than 1000 homes and small businesses across western Kenosha County now have access to broadband internet.
The newly completed expansion of Spectrum’s broadband network is part of a larger effort to connect Wisconsin’s rural areas to high speed internet.
Wisconsin Public Service Commissioner Marcus Hawkins says this was one of 83 expansion projects given funding in 2021 to bring broadband access to rural communities.
Hawkins said, “It strengthens the local economy encourages new families and businesses to move to an area, set up roots, and delivers new opportunities for residents.”
Kenosha County Executive Samantha Kerkman said the importance of getting broadband service everywhere in the state came into sharp relief during the pandemic when everything shut down.
“In today’s world it is something that people need — to be connected, so they can pay their bills, work from home, do their school work,” Kerkman said, “Those things are so important to have in the rural part of Wisconsin.”
She says people are already starting to notice a difference, “I’ve had people reach out that hooked up just a few weeks ago, that were so thankful. They’re posting it on the internet. They’re like, ‘Wow, I didn’t realize how much this is going to impact my life.'”
Chairwoman for the town of Brighton, Susan Crane says historically the state’s urban centers often have a competative edge over rural areas.
Crane said, “In the 1920s, in the 1930s, Rural Wisconsin was really at a disadvantage. Milwaukee, Kenosha and Racine had electric lights and we were still milking our cows by hand. We had a disadvantage. Our students had a disadvantage, Our businesses and Farms had a disadvantage. In my opinion broadband is the same exact thing nearly 100 years later.”
She said expanding access and is finally evening the playing field and helping small communities compete in a world of remote work and online shopping.
“We’re in a better place every month because of broadband coming to us. We’re not there yet, but I know in the future we will be.”
