Editor’s note: This is the final installment in a five-part series highlighting the need for broadband internet expansion in Pierce County.

During the pandemic, the American people have become accustomed to hearing many new terms and acronyms in the news: COVID, ESSER, ARPA, PPE. We’ve added a whole new pandemic vocabulary, it seems.

The Pierce County Board Ad-Hoc Committee is tasked with figuring out how to appropriate the county’s awarded federal American Rescue Plan Act funds, which total about $8.3 million. Funding must be spent by the end of the calendar year 2024.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury is responsible for the funds’ distribution. Four broad eligible uses for ARPA funds include: Revenue replacement for government services

•COVID-19 expenditures or negative economic impacts from COVID-19, including assistance to small businesses, households, hard-hit industries and economic recovery.

•Premium pay for essential workers.

•Investments in water, sewer and broadband infrastructure The “final rule” from the U.S. Department of Treasury issued Jan. 6 significantly increased flexibility for municipalities in how they spend ARPA funds, especially in how

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they calculate the local tax revenue loss attributable to the pandemic.

•Municipalities can use a standard allowance of up to $10 million for the revenue loss category, said County Administrator Jason Matthys. This replaces the previous revenue loss calculation formula. This provision could allow municipalities to claim all of their ARPA funds under the “revenue loss” category.

The money claimed under this category can be used for “general government services,” which can mean any service traditionally provided by the government (minus a few exceptions). Some examples the final rule lists are construction of schools and hospitals, road building and maintenance, other infrastructure, health services, general government administration, staff and administrative facilities, environmental remediation, and provision of police, fire and other public safety services (can include buying fire and police vehicles.)

The funds’ use lists the following restrictions:

•Funds allocated to states cannot be used to directly or indirectly offset tax reductions or delay a tax or tax increase.

•Funds cannot be deposited into a pension fund or rainy-day fund.

Many associations and organizations throughout the state, such as the League of Municipalities, Wisconsin Towns Association and Wisconsin Counties Association are encouraging municipalities to spend the money on one-time investments rather than recurring expenditures that would require further funding down the road. This means avoiding creating new programs or add-ons which will require ongoing financial commitment.

The following recommendations for ARPA funds are listed on the UW-Extension website ARPA education tab:

•Replenishing reserves used to offset revenue declines during the pandemic should be given high priority to rebuild financial flexibility/stability and restore fiscal resiliency.

•Using ARPA funds to cover operating deficits caused by COVID-19 should be considered temporary.

•Investment in critical infrastructure is a good use because it’s a non-recurring expenditure that can be used on long-term assets. Municipalities should be careful to assess any ongoing operating costs associated with the project. These projects are often difficult to fund on tax revenues alone, so the ARPA monies provide the opportunity to invest in the future.

•Engage the community to identify their priorities on investments and implement a public participation mechanism to help allocate funds.

•Look for innovative partnerships and collaborations to implement strategic projects, such as non-profits, neighboring local governments and regional organizations.

As one can imagine, a list a mile long of where the funds could be best used is imminent. A group of advocates for broadband expansion, led by non-profits Pierce County GrassRoots Organizing and Western Wisconsin Needs Broadband, along with Pierce County Economic Development Corporation and local internet providers, are hoping Pierce County agrees to allocate a portion of its $8.3 million in ARPA funds to support broadband expansion throughout the county.

The points awarded in applications to the State Broadband Expansion Grant Program are one reason why local government ARPA allocation to internet service providers (such as SwiftCurrent Connect or BevComm, for example) in a public-private partnership is important. Each application is awarded more points if matching funds are available and public-private partnerships exhibit community engagement.

The Connollys

When Rachel and Troy Connolly moved to Sittin’ Valley four miles east of River Falls in July 2019, they’d been warned that the internet service was questionable. They thought the previous owner of their house was exaggerating. He wasn’t.

“We bought the house from a co-worker directly and he had told us it’s not great, there aren’t many options,” Rachel Connolly said. “Oh yeah, we thought. We’ll figure it out. We kind of brushed it aside.”

Before they moved, Connolly spent a good week calling every place she could possibly think of, inquiring about internet service. She had terrible luck. The only option she found was satellite internet that cost $260 per month.

“It worked okay unless it was raining or snowing, then it didn’t work at all,” Connolly said. “It wasn’t terrible when we first moved in, but then I was forced to work from home when COVID hit and I still am. The satellite wasn’t fast enough and I couldn’t just not work when it was raining. We didn’t know where to turn.”

That’s when she became acquainted with WWNB and Katie Pata. It helped to connect with others in Pierce County who had the same struggles she did. It wasn’t just about streaming movies at home or checking social media. It was about working from home and figuring out how to do it when the internet wouldn’t work.

“We suffered through satellite, limping along, through Fall 2020,” Connolly said. “I thought I’d go back to the office in a couple of weeks. We weren’t doing a bunch of video calls yet, but our time at home kept extending.”

Connolly works as a bank examiner for the Farm Credit Administration. She knew she had to figure something out, as the stay-at-home work continued. They found a company called Hoff Satellite Sales & Installs out of Eau Claire that offered fixed wireless internet. Fixed wireless internet uses antennas that are attached to your home (or another structure nearby). The antennas beam an internet signal from your computer to a fixed location, which is usually a fixed wireless hub attached to a tower.

Connolly said the company’s owner Brandon Hoff was “super great to work with” and provided “the best internet since we lived here.” While less expensive, it was still close to $200 a month. But there was one catch: Hoff had to affix the wireless hub to an AT& T tower. Connolly said AT& T threatened to shut it off several times, but then would extend the agreement at the last minute. It created unwelcome stress, not knowing if she would be able to do her job from week-to-week.

In Fall 2021, the Connollys welcomed their third child and she went on maternity leave, giving her a break from needing the internet. When she returned to work in January 2022, Hoff’s internet service was working, but the speeds had slowed – enough so that she couldn’t do any video calls. AT& T again threatened to drop the agreement.

“I panicked because I have to work, and I couldn’t drive into Bloomington every day to use the internet,” Connolly said.

She researched more options and settled on Bix Wireless, based in Tennessee, which was a fixed wireless option contracted through AT& T. Bix had even slower speeds and consistently dropped her video calls. She felt her hands were tied and it still cost $180 per month. If AT& T would provide them fixed wireless directly, which it declined due to “tower space constraints,” that price would have dropped to $60 per month.

Back to Hoff it was at a price of over $200 per month; however, he had struck a deal with Verizon to use their tower and the speeds seem adequate at this time. However, she’s counting down the days until they are able to connect to SwiftCurrent Connect through Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services.

“It’s (Hoff) really our only choice,” Connolly said. “The part that is so astonishing to me is that we’re only four miles from town and 35 miles from the Twin Cities and we have no internet options. My parents live in the literal middle of nowhere near Durand on a dead-end dirt road and they have broadband internet.”

The Connollys are where they want to be and worked hard to be able to live near River Falls, Troy’s hometown. He works for the City of River Falls Public Works Department. Rachel attended college at UW-River Falls and loved the city. They tried for a long time to break into the River Falls housing market and don’t want to leave due to an internet problem.

They count their lucky stars their children were young when the pandemic struck, because online schoolwork would have been impossible. Their oldest, who is now 6.5, was in 4K at the time. His teacher drove out to their house and worked with him on tests outside. She said it was more effective than struggling with it over the computer.

The Shafers

John Shafer, a dairy farmer turned substitute teacher, lives in the town of Gilman with his two children, Zachary (fourth grade) and Rose (seventh grade). They have internet service through Spring Valley Telephone Company. It’s pretty reliable, which is good because both children use Chromebooks to complete school work at home.

“The older they get, the more technology is needed,” Shafer said. “As a substitute teacher, this technology is great for keeping students working and being connected with their teachers. However, we need infrastructure and skilled workers to keep this technology working.”

As a farmer, Shafer uses the internet for finding parts and tools online, information on equipment, and online auctions. He believes high speed internet needs to be available for everyone in order to have a sustainable community.

“While on the Pierce County Board back in the early 2000s, I believed in sustainable communities and supporting rural America and family farmers,” Shafer said. “I still believe in both now. Rural America has been neglected for too long and we cannot continue to make big metropolitan areas continue to grow out of control while we see rural America and rural communities crumble. Having high speed internet is going to keep people connected and help out rural America.”

When Gov. Tony Evers instituted the Safer at Home Order in March 2020, Shafer’s kids were in elementary school. Shafer believes all area schools did well in keeping kids as engaged as they possibly could, considering the situation. He remains grateful to the teachers and staff, and the use of a school Chromebook was a lifesaver.

“It was learn-on-the-fly and with the help of Zoom and Google Meets, they were able to help many students out, but it had its struggles,” Shafer said.

Last year, Rose started sixth grade at Ellsworth Middle School, while Zachary was in third grade. They had to go online from time-to-time, though Ellsworth mostly kept learning in-person.

“A few times we either had difficulty connecting or having the teacher get disconnected while the students were still on the computers,” Shafer said. “I remember asking Zachary’s classmates to look for a topic for their paper until the teacher could reconnect.”

Shafer transitioned from dairy cattle to beef cattle for health reasons. At that time, he saw that many schools were struggling to staff classrooms with substitute teachers and paraprofessionals, so he began subbing almost daily at three area districts. The pandemic exacerbated the problem, forcing some classrooms or schools to go to distance learning when staff was spread too thin. Distance learning is tough to do when not everyone has adequate internet service.

“My hope is to find the best solution for Pierce County,” Shafer said. “We have to focus on the entire county (not just the western side). There are so many opportunities out there if we change our way of thinking.”

Troy and Rachel Connolly live in the town of River Falls, Sittin’ Valley to be exact, with their three young children. Rachel relies on an internet connection to work from home as a bank examiner. Photo courtesy of Rachel Connolly

Town of Gilman farmer and substitute teacher John Shafer, with his children Rose and Zachary, had to connect with Ellsworth Community School District staff and students over the internet during the pandemic. Photo courtesy of John Shafer