On Wednesday, the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSC), released the final Governor’s Task Force on Broadband Access annual report.
In 2020, Governor Evers created the Governor’s Task Force on Broadband Access through Executive Order #80 to advise the governor and Legislature on broadband actions, policies, and strategies to successfully expand high-speed internet in Wisconsin
According to the 2026 report, in the last year alone, 97,000 locations received new or improved broadband service that gave them access to 100 Megabits per second (Mbps) download and 20 Mbps upload (“100/20”) or faster internet for the first time. Additionally, Wisconsin saw an expansion of fiber, which has supported both new served locations and upgrades to existing served locations, with a total of 234,000 more locations able to access fiber compared to one year ago. Further, the broadband adoption rate in Wisconsin, meaning the number of households with internet subscriptions, has reached over 93 percent—the highest it has ever been.
The report also describes the status of various state and federal broadband expansion grant programs and identifies that approximately 31,000 locations are currently unserved, with no project in progress. The Task Force made recommendations to help connect the hardest-to-reach locations while also prioritizing internet affordability and adoption efforts.
In addition, the report also provides a comprehensive list of recommendations to continue building upon the state’s broadband expansion progress to date that focus on key themes, including infrastructure and future proofing, outreach, partnership, and accountability, workforce development, digital skills and sustained affordability, and emerging technologies