Earlier this month, Wisconsin awarded broadband funding to AT&T, Charter and Frontier for deployment in underserved and unserved rural communities. Still, local small businesses received the majority of the $42 million awarded.
AT&T emerged as the big winner, securing three grants among the big three companies. AT&T won three awards, worth more than $2.3 million, and the company promised to contribute more than $18.7 million toward the project’s costs.
A $2.9 million grant was paid to Charter, and the company also agreed to contribute to the additional $3.5 million project costs.
Frontier received $281,000 and the company will also contribute $377,960. The initiative was funded by the federal government’s Capital Projects Fund.
The State and Local Tax Recovery Fund provided approximately $1.3 million in funding.
Also let us know about local businesses that received grants. This month, three local businesses received the highest total awards.
They are Chibardun Telephone Cooperative, Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services, also known as SwiftCurrent Connect, and East Central Energy, also known as ECE Fiber.
Chibardun Telephone Cooperative won six grants totaling approximately $12.6 million. The company’s contribution to the total project cost is $14 million.
Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services, also known as SwiftCurrent Connect, won three awards totaling approximately $8 million. The company’s contribution to the total project cost will be nearly $13 million.
East Central Energy, also known as ECE Fiber, won two awards totaling approximately $7.2 million. The company’s contribution to the total project cost will be $8.8 million.
Thirteen companies won the funding, and here is a list:
- Pierce Pépin Cooperative Services
- Chibardun Telephone Cooperative
- Cochrane Cooperative Telephone Company
- Hilbert Communications
- Norvado
- Citizens’ telephone cooperative
- AT&T
- Central East Energy
- charter
- Telecommunications 24/7
- Border
- Wittenberg Telephone Company
- Union Telephone Company
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