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Governor Evers’ State of the State Address
By John Forester | January 13, 2021
From The Wheeler Report . . .
Governor Evers delivered his 2021 State of the State Speech virtually to the Wisconsin Legislature this year, while both houses of the Legislature provided for some in-person presence and some virtual presence by members.
In his speech, Evers said:
- He is declaring 2021 the Year of Broadband and will provide $200 million over the biennium in his 2021-23 budget proposal to fund broadband expansion in Wisconsin.
- He will call a Special Session of the Legislature to take up a plan to modernize the unemployment system in Wisconsin.
- He will include provisions in his 2021-23 budget proposal which will require the Legislature to hold public meetings for the map-drawing process of redistricting.
According to supporting documents providing by the Governor’s Office, the broadband recommendations for the Governor’s 2021-23 budget will include:
- Investing $150 million in broadband expansion grants, leveraging federal and private funding to provide broadband access to unserved and underserved communities.
- Reducing roadblocks for local municipalities with communities considered “unserved” and “underserved” to provide broadband service to residents.
- Allowing electric cooperatives to use easements they hold to install and maintain broadband infrastructure and lease and provide excess capacity in broadband infrastructure to a supplier of broadband services.
- Creating an Internet Assistance Program that invests $40 million in reducing costs and making internet services affordable for tens of thousands of low-income families throughout Wisconsin.
- Creating a Broadband Line Extension grant program, which will reduce the cost of expensive line extensions from residences to existing broadband infrastructure.
- Maintain funding for the TEACH Subsidy Program and for the TEACH Infrastructure grant program.
The total biennial investment in all broadband initiatives is approximately $205 million.
The total biennial investment in Broadband Expansion Grants is approximately $150 million.
The total biennial investment in new Internet Assistance Program is approximately $40 million.
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