Wisconsin GOP Cuts $750 Million from State Broadband Budget

WASHINGTON, September 9, 2024 – Efforts to expand high-speed internet access in Wisconsin have hit a political roadblock, stalled by partisan infighting, according to Democratic Assembly members.

A budget proposal made by Gov. Tony Evers (D) seeking $750 million in state funding to supplement federal broadband dollars was removed during final stages from the state’s 2023-25 budget by Republican lawmakers on the Joint Finance Committee.

Rep. Mark Born, R-Beaver Dam, who co-chairs the Republican-led budget committee, justified the funding removal by noting Wisconsin was set to receive $1.1 billion in federal money to expand broadband through the Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment program, Cap Times reported last Monday.

“Wisconsin has been allocated over one billion dollars in federal funding for expanding access to broadband in our state,” Born wrote in an email to Cap Times. “The state will re-evaluate future funding once we have a clearer picture of the broadband landscape after the use of these federal dollars.”

Despite GOP assembly members emphasizing their priority to spend federal funds first, Gov. Evers has expressed that he will continue to advocate for state broadband funding in the next budget cycle. 

“I'll be calling on the Legislature to make real, meaningful investments in broadband in our next budget so we can continue building the 21st century infrastructure Wisconsinites need and deserve,” Evers said in a recent statement.

Meanwhile, Assembly Democrats argue that federal dollars alone will not be enough to ensure high-speed internet reaches all corners of the state.

Rep. Melissa Ratcliff, D-Cottage Grove, a member of Evers’ Task Force on Broadband Access, emphasized that state support was crucial to address other barriers to internet access, such as affordability issues. 

In its fourth annual report on statewide broadband access released in July, the governor’s broadband task force proposed a range of initiatives, including the creation of a statewide internet affordability program for low-income households. This program would serve as a successor to the federal Affordable Connectivity Program, which provided one-in-six Wisconsin households with a discount of $30 a month toward internet service.

Ratcliff highlighted growing rifts within the Legislature. "It’s been rough, knowing that what Gov. Evers puts forward gets thrown out, and Republicans start over. If important provisions are cut from the budget, we’ll continue pushing to restore them through separate bills.”

Since 2019, Evers has directed at least $345 million in state and federal funds toward broadband expansion.