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| WISCONSIN GETS MORE MONEY TO INCREASE BROADBAND AWARENESS, ACCESS |
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WPR News - Wisconsin gets more money to increase broadband awareness, access
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Friday April 27, 2012
by Steve Roisum
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There is a multi-million dollar effort underway to raise awareness about broadband, and make it more readily available in some parts of the state.
The $44 million come from two stimulus grants and local matches. One provides money to raise awareness about broadband. Marie Alvarez Stroud is the director of the office of broadband and sustainability at UW Extension. She says some people don't realize they have internet access, or how important it is. Stroud says the university will help arrange presentations with local providers, "So far more and more individuals who thought "aw, I'm not going to learn that consumer stuff are now starting to realize as well, I can't get my paycheck, I can't get my benefits."
The other grant will be used to establish better broadband service in several parts of the state, including the Chippewa Valley. Ross Wilson is with the Chippewa Valley Inter-Networking Consortium. His organization is working with UW Extension to improve broadband service. He says advances in technology make moving large files a lot easier, "Because we're, Eau Claire is the biggest fish in the puddle here, they provide radiology services to remote hospitals for stuff like that. Well, sometimes it was faster to tape a DVD of a cat scan on a patient's chest and just ship them by ambulance then it was to ship the file across the internet."
Officials with the Building Community Capacity Through Broadband program plan to install over 600 miles of fiber optic cables, and create four community area networks by June of 2013. The plan is controversial. Last year, the statewide telecommunications associations objected to the project saying it should be lead by the private sector. The trade groups attempted to stop the project working with legislators, then in court where they argued it was illegal.
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