Outagamie County believes everyone should have access to affordable, high-speed internet services, regardless of where they live. While more populated areas of the county have access to high-speed internet, many homes and businesses in our more rural areas do not. To address this issue, the County is taking steps to advance the deployment of broadband countywide.

What efforts has the County taken to date to help advance the deployment of broadband countywide?

• January 2020: Adopted our Comprehensive Plan which recommended that the County:
  identify ways to expand and enhance affordable broadband service to underserved portions of the county. Implement strategies where feasible, partnering with local units of government where possible."
  
  
• February 2022: Began researching policy approaches and best practices.
  
  
• June 2022: Helped to fund and received a broadband study report and executive summary (linked below), completed by Design Nine and MSA Professionals. The study included important findings and a series of recommendations such as "establish public/private partnerships to ensure faster expansion of high performance broadband services."
  
  
• June 2022: Released a Request for Information (RFI) to identify private-sector internet service providers who may be interested and willing to partner with the County. 
  
  
• June 2023: Partnered with Bug Tussel to establish a broadband project involving five components: fixed wireless, middle-mile, limited last-mile connections (fiber to the premises), cellular expansion, and community education. The County Board formalized the partnership on June 27, 2023 and approved a $24 M bond guarantee via Res. No. 17 (2023-24) and Res. No. 29 (2023-24).
  
  
• April 2023- Present: Entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with New North to collaborate on initiatives with counties within the New North region to prepare for Wisconsin Public Service Commission's Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Local Planning Grant project funding. 

• July 2023: Invited Town representatives to a broadband meeting held on July 12, 2023 to provide an update on County broadband initiatives and to gather feedback on our project with Bug Tussel and other broadband priorities. 

• February 2024: Released a $2.75 M Broadband Last Mile Grant to support investments in fiber-optic infrastructure that will achieve last mile connections to unserved and underserved locations in Outagamie County. Funding for this program derives from American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars.

• August 2024: Executed agreement with Brightspeed who was the recipient of Outagamie County's Broadband Last Mile Grant. Brightspeed was awarded $2,693,852 to connect 956 rural Outagamie County locations across 120 miles to high-speed fiber internet. The project is anticipated to take 2.5 years to design and construct. Service to some locations should be available as early as Q1 2026. Service packages will be offered without data caps, without installation fees, and without requiring contracts. 

Questions? Contact:
Sadie DiNatale Burda, Deputy Director
Sadie.DiNataleBurda@Outagamie.org
Development and Land Services
320 S Walnut Street
Appleton, WI 54911

Broadband- Frequently Asked Questions

Outagamie County Broadband Report - Executive Summary (2022)

Outagamie County Broadband Report (2022)