How can communities and partners set themselves up for success for Broadband Equity, Access, Deployment (BEAD) funding? UW-Madison Extension’s Community Economic Development Program is organizing a 1-day broadband workshop to help your community plan and take action on broadband expansion that reaches all residents of the state of Wisconsin. 

The workshop, which was planned for broadband leaders and partners in the Momentum West counties of Polk, Barron, St. Croix, Pierce, Dunn, Pepin, Chippewa, Eau Claire, Clark, and Rusk, will be held May 14, in the Conference Center at CESA 10 offices, 725 Park Ave. in Chippewa Falls. Extension will kick off the workshop at 8:30 a.m. with Carah Koch from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and Matt Marcus from the Wisconsin Broadband Office, followed by a discussion on permitting success with staff from the Department of Natural Resources, Wisconsin Department of Transportation, and the Wisconsin Counties Association. After lunch will feature an Extension workshop on engagement and endorsement. The day will conclude with a panel discussion with local case study examples you can apply in your community.     

“We’ve organized these workshops for participants to connect with each other while learning from experienced permitting authorities, legal specialists, Extension educators, Internet Service Providers, and local broadband champions with successes and pitfalls we can all learn from and use to set all communities up for success,” said Extension Community Broadband Specialist Gail Huycke.

The series of workshop is being produced in partnership with the Wisconsin Counties Association, the League of Wisconsin Municipalities, the Wisconsin Office of Rural Prosperity, the Wisconsin Towns Association, the Wisconsin State Telecommunications Association, and the Wisconsin Broadband office at the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin.

Registration is $25 to attend. Register here: https://go.wisc.edu/BroadbandWorkshops   

For additional information about these workshops contact Jessica Beckendorf at beckendorf@wisc.edu