Wisconsin Governor Presses for $400M Broadband Investment
State GOP rejected $750M in 2023, banking on now delayed federal funds.
WASHINGTON, June 20, 2025 – Wisconsin Republicans once said the state didn’t need to invest in broadband because federal money was on the way. With those funds now delayed by the Trump administration, Gov. Tony Evers (D) has proposed $400 million in state funding to keep expansion efforts on track.
Evers called on lawmakers Tuesday to approve the funding as part of his 2025–27 executive budget, which includes $400 million to bolster Wisconsin’s Broadband Expansion Grant Program and accelerate internet deployment in unserved areas.
“With the Trump Administration delaying broadband funding Wisconsin expects to receive — over my objections — the $400 million investment I proposed to help expand high-speed internet is critical. I’m urging Republican lawmakers to approve these important investments,” Evers wrote in a release Tuesday.
FROM SPEEDING BEAD SUMMIT
Panel 1: How Are States Thinking About Reasonable Costs Now?
Panel 2: Finding the State Versus Federal Balance in BEAD
Panel 3: Reacting to the New BEAD NOFO Guidance
Panel 4: Building, Maintaining and Adopting Digital Workforce Skills
The governor’s request comes as the Trump administration has made sweeping changes to the federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program. Evers’ office said the BEAD program’s new rules – including de-prioritizing fiber, removing affordability targets, and eliminating local input – make swift state action more urgent than ever.
“After Republican lawmakers approved $0 in the last state budget to expand high-speed internet, this is a make-or-break budget for my administration’s work to expand high-speed internet across our state,” Evers said. “We have a lot of work to do to close the digital divide and make sure every Wisconsinite has access to high-quality, high-speed internet.”
But the fate of Evers’ proposal remains uncertain. The state’s powerful Joint Finance Committee, still controlled by Republicans, previously stripped $750 million in proposed broadband funding from his 2023–25 budget. At the time, GOP lawmakers pointed to the expected influx of $1.1 billion in federal BEAD funding as justification.
“The state will re-evaluate future funding once we have a clearer picture of the broadband landscape after the use of these federal dollars,” said committee co-chair Rep. Mark Born, R-Beaver Dam, in a statement at the time.
Rep. Melissa Ratcliff, D-Cottage Grove, a member of the governor’s broadband task force, also spoke out at the time, highlighting 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,” she said then.
The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin estimates that 39 percent of Wisconsinites still lack access to affordable internet, and 262,000 locations remain officially unserved. On June 13, the state unveiled a newly upgraded broadband map, allowing residents to track service levels and construction progress across Wisconsin.
Since taking office, Evers has allocated more than $345 million in state and federal funds to broadband, reaching over 410,000 homes and businesses, according to the release.
