Municipalities being approached by companies seeking public/private partnerships for broadband expansion

Municipalities may be hearing from telephone companies, cable companies and streaming broadband companies all wanting to offer broadband service to their communities with the help of a State of Wisconsin broadband grant and perhaps a public/private partnership.

Companies score higher on a Public Service Commission of Wisconsin application if they partner with a public entity.

The State of Wisconsin has been allocating funds for broadband expansion since 2014, but for the 2021-2023 state budget biennium, it is awarding more money than has been allocated in all the previous years put together -- $100 million.  The deadline to apply is coming up on Thursday, March 17.  Another $29 million is being held in reserve for fiscal year 2023.

The PSC will make the final determination on who gets funding in this highly competitive process.  Applicants must show that a broadband infrastructure project would be serving either “unserved” or “underserved” areas of the state, which are shown on a map on the PSC website.  Applicants can still apply if the area they want to serve is not on the map, but they must provide an explanation about why an area should be considered unserved or underserved. 

Applicants can be non-profit or for-profit organizations, co-ops, or telecommunications companies.  Municipalities or counties are also eligible if they have entered into a partnership or joint venture arrangement with a qualified organization or telecommunications company.  

The PSC evaluates the applications on a number of criteria and gives points, which boost the score of an application, for meeting certain criteria.  For example, points are given to an applicant if it plans to serve an unserved area, if it is part of a public/private partnership and if it offers matching funds.  Applicants are also rated more highly if they can, for example, show that the broadband project will have a positive economic impact, if they provide a higher level of performance, or if they plan to serve a large geographic area or a large number of customers.  (For all of the criteria considered, see this PSC PowerPoint.) 

The Federal Communication Commission defines adequate broadband service as two-way data transmission with a minimum speed of at least 25 Mbps for download and 3 Mbps for upload.  An “underserved” area is one that is served by only one broadband Internet Service Provider (ISP) that offers a speed of 25 Mbps for download and 3 Mbps for upload. An area is considered “unserved” if there is no fixed wireless or wired service that has an actual speed of at least 5 Mbps for download and 600 Kbps for upload.  Satellite ISPs are not counted. 

Pink areas are “underserved.” Red areas are “unserved.” Click the map to go to an interactive version on the PSC website.

The WCM Program Fund helps get a show off the ground for the first time

The new non-profit WCM Program Fund helped a coalition of groups planning an event about redistricting by putting it in touch with a videographer interested in the project.

Dan Folkman, a WCM Independent Producer Member, worked with the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin, Fair District Maps Midstate, and the Fair Maps Coalition to produce the hybrid event that involved both Zoom and speakers at an in-person event.

The panelists included former Republican State Senator Dale Schultz; Atty. Mel Barnes of Law Forward; Carlene Bechen, Fair Maps Coalition; Debra Cronmiller, League of Women Voters of Wisconsin; and Joe Horvath, Fiar District Maps Midstate.

The speakers talked about the current status of gerrymandering in Wisconsin and about how the process of choosing a map that will be used to create Congressional Districts and other voting districts is nearing the end. The Wisconsin State Supreme Court will select among several competing maps which one will be in effect for the next 10 years. During March 2022, portions of the map will be appealed in federal court over violations of the 1965 Voting Right Act. This must be resolved by the end of March so state candidates can complete the necessary paperwork required for upcoming elections.

The program is available over WCM’s Program Sharing Platform.

The WCM Program Fund’s mission is to connect program producers and funders with Wisconsin’s non-profit Public, Education and Government (PEG) community media center production facilities in order to provide financial and technical support for the creation and distribution of videos of local, regional and statewide public interest for play over cable television systems and other media platforms. 

Jefferson TV introduces new station manager on the eve of its 20th year

Wednesday February 2 marks the twentieth anniversary of Jefferson's channels. Jefferson Community Television may be one of the smallest media centers in Wisconsin, but its two channels broadcast a big mix that reflects the "Gemuetlichkeit City:" council meetings, county board meetings (Jefferson is the county seat), three church services, and because Jefferson like music, decades of summer concerts in Rotary Park.

Kevin Kowal, Jefferson Community Television Station Manager

The Jefferson channels have been managed by a number of people over the years, but long-time resident John Foust has always kept a special eye on the channels.  Recently, he met Kevin Kowal at an event and as they talked, John realized Kevin would be perfect to manage the station and is now the part-time station manager.

Kevin has been very active over the years in media and communication arts.  He  graduated from Columbia College, a school in Chicago specializing in video and film studies.  He served in the Navy as a radioman for four years.  After he left the service he worked as an A/V technician for eleven years and later became a videotape editor for NBC News.  In 2008 he built a sound truck for outdoor events and has been recording events ever since.   When not working, Kevin is a synth keyboard enthusiast.   Kevin is eager to apply his experience in the field to his new position at Jefferson Community Television.   “I am a hands-on equipment guy, and I would like to do more to record community events and share them with the public. Now that I am retired, I have time to pursue the opportunities offered by PEG TV in Jefferson.”