By LeAnn R. Ralph
MENOMONIE — The Dunn County Board has authorized using $100,000 of the $8.8 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds awarded to Dunn County for broadband grant applications.
The Community Resources and Tourism committee held a special meeting on February 7 so that the request could come before the executive committee and then come to the county board because the grant applications are due March 17, said James Anderson, county board supervisor from Menomonie and chair of the CRT committee, at the Dunn County Board’s February 16 meeting.
The Dunn County Board’s Executive Committee approved at a meeting February 9 forwarding the resolution to the Dunn County Board to designate $100,000 of the ARPA money for broadband grant applications.
24-7 Telcom, Mosaic Technologies and Bloomer Telephone are planning to submit grant applications to the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin for the $100 million available in this grant cycle to expand fiber optic Internet service in the county.
The three internet service providers will submit seven grant applications — 24-7 Telcom will apply for five grants to provide service to various locations in Dunn County, while Mosaic will apply for the Town of Grant and Bloomer Telephone will apply for the Town of Colfax.
Past grant applications that have been successful have included a certain amount of funding from the ISPs and the municipalities where the ISPs plan to expand fiber optic Internet access.
Many of the townships involved in the broadband grant applications have approved using 100 percent of their ARPA money, Anderson said.
This is the last meeting where the Dunn County Board can approve use of ARPA funds for the broadband expansion grants before the deadline for the applications, said Tom Quinn, county board supervisor from Downing and a member of the CRT committee.
The broadband expansion grants represent a unique opportunity for Dunn County, and the CRT committee is recommending dealing with the seven applications now and then discussing the possibility of using more funds at the county board’s Capital Improvement Plan meeting, he said.
Gary Bjork, county board supervisor from Colfax, asked how much remained of the county’s ARPA money.
Of the $8.8 million awarded to Dunn County, $3.2 million has been designated for highway projects, so $5.6 million remains.
Using $100,000 is only a small part of the funds coming to Dunn County, Bjork remarked.
Rural broadband comes down to the “haves” and the “have nots” just as rural electrification did decades ago, said Larry Bjork, county board supervisor from Menomonie and a member of the CRT committee.
Years ago, if people did not have electricity in the rural areas, “they did not know what they were missing,” and it is the same with broadband, he said.
The $100,000 is a token amount and is 1.1 percent of the county’s ARPA money, Larry Bjork said.
Surrounding counties are supporting rural broadband expansion to a higher degree, he noted.
The citizens of Dunn County need broadband, and the county board should “do what we can” to bring broadband to Dunn County, Larry Bjork said.
Sheila Stori, county board supervisor from Menomonie, noted that she had been chair of the CRT committee six years ago when the committee began working on the issue with a broadband survey.
“I am excited to see the day has come,” she said.
Fiber optic Internet access will be good for the schools and good for economic development, Stori said.
“It’s been at least six years coming, and I give Jim Anderson accolades for his work,” she said.
The Dunn County Board approved the resolution designating $100,000 of the ARPA funds for broadband expansion grant applications on a voice vote.
Anderson has decided not to run for re-election this spring and will be retiring from the county board when his term expires in April.
