Digital Equity Capacity Grant

Digital Equity Capacity Grant is sponsored by Public Service Commission of Wisconsin. Supports programs and services to advance internet adoption and digital skills for Wisconsin residents.

Digital Equity Grant Open, BEAD Round One Summary Digital Equity Grant Open, BEAD Round One Summary Public Service Commission of Wisconsin sent this bulletin at 03/12/2025 06:47 AM CDT View as a webpage / Share Wisconsin Digital Equity Capacity Grant Accepting Applications The Wisconsin Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program (5-DEC-2025) provides grant funding to eligible entities to support the implementation of the Wisconsin Digital Equity Plan.

The funding for this program is provided by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) through the State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program established as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

As described in the Commission's Order establishing the program, the Digital Equity Capacity Grant program is organized around two program tracks: Digital Navigators (Track 1), and Digital Opportunity Coalitions (Track 2).

Track 1 : The overall purpose of the Digital Navigator track is to expand current and/or support new digital navigator staff, programs, and projects that serve the covered populations, and increase internet adoption, digital skills and related digital opportunities within local communities.

Track 2 : The overall purpose of the Digital Opportunity Coalitions track is to expand and support current and new local digital opportunity groups that will raise awareness, identify community needs, and increase the network of people, programs, and services that increase digital opportunity. In this current round, the Commission may award a total of $9.

5 million in grants under the Digital Equity Capacity Program for a performance period of up to three years. Applications are due by 1:30 p. m.

C. T. on May 20, 2025.

See the grant webpage or the application instructions for additional information. Digital Equity Capacity Grant Webpage Webinar Digital Equity Capacity Grant - Information and Overview On Thursday, April 10, 2025 Commission staff will host a webinar: Wisconsin Digital Equity Capacity Grant - Information and Overview .

The webinar will include a breakdown of the grant’s two program tracks, description of the application process and eligibility requirements, discussion of the awarding merit criteria, federal program requirements, and a question-and-answer segment. Registration is required. Wisconsin BEAD Grant Round One Summary On Tuesday February 25, 2025, Wisconsin's BEAD Round one closed.

The Commission received 425 applications, requesting just under $3 billion in funding. The submitted applications include 188,926 of the 199,067 eligible locations. Commission staff will review and score the applications over the coming weeks and announce the forthcoming opening of BEAD grant round 2.

A letter summarizing round one is available here. New Resource: National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Permitting for BEAD The Public Service Commission (PSC), Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR), Wisconsin State Historic Preservation Office (WI SHPO) and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) developed a webinar playlist for BEAD applicants and interested stakeholders.

The following resources are designed for entities undertaking a BEAD funded broadband deployment project. Here is the webinar playlist on YouTube . Related slide decks can also be found on the PSC BEAD Webpage.

Governor's Broadband Task Force March Meeting The March meeting of the Governor's Task Force on Broadband Access is scheduled for Wednesday, March 19, 2025, from 1:00 - 3:00 p. m. CST.

The meeting will be virtual. The meeting agenda will be posted on the Commission Calendar at least 24 hours in advance and will include information on how members of the public can watch and listen online. Public comments are invited at the beginning of the meeting.

Webinar of Interest: Innovative Regional Development Leveraging Broadband for Growth Discover how broadband expansion can drive innovative regional economic development strategies. This session features representatives from Winrock International, who will delve into their Arkansas Delta Rhythm and Bayous project. Learn about the project’s transformative impact on rural regional development.

You'll also hear from local expert Barb LaMue, President and CEO of the New North, on unleashing the possibilities of regional economic development in Wisconsin. Additionally, the Office of Rural Prosperity (ORP) will showcase their toolkit for rural broadband planning.

USDA Community Connect Grants Accepting Applications The Community Connect Program provides financial assistance to eligible applicants that will provide broadband service in rural, economically-challenged communities where service does not exist. The application window for the FY2025 round of funding in now open and will close on April 21, 2025. More information on the Community Connect Grants is available here .

Commission Lifeline Outreach Grants Accepting Applications The Lifeline Outreach Grant Program (5-LLG-2025) provides grant funding to improve participation in the Lifeline Program, which helps address affordability challenges by providing a discount on essential telecommunications services for low-income households.

Non-profit organizations, community-based agencies, institutions of higher education, local and Tribal governments and for-profit businesses are eligible for funding. Applications are due by 1:30 p. m.

CST on March 26, 2025. More information can be found on the Lifeline Outreach Grant Program webpage. New Dataset Reveals Impact of RDOF Defaults on Each State Benton Institute for Broadband and Society published an analysis and summary of data made available by the Federal Communications Commission relating to the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) defaults.

A default is a location that was won in the RDOF auction and then not authorized for funding or the winner decided not to build the location. Over 104,000 locations in Wisconsin were defaulted, the third highest number in the country. See the full dataset below.

New Brattle Study Finds the Affordable Connectivity Program Pays for Itself The Brattle Group provide an economic analysis of the impact of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) – which offered monthly broadband service subsidies to low-income households. The study found that the economic benefits generated by the program far outweigh its costs.

The major benefits include expanded labor force, increased access to virtual healthcare, and improved academic performance. Capital Projects Fund Broadband Infrastructure (5-CPF-2023) and Capital Projects Fund Digital Connectivity and Navigators (5-CPF-2024) reports are due on April 10. Submit your reports in the PSC Grant Management System.

Questions: PSCCapitalProjectsFund@Wisconsin. gov State Broadband Expansion Grant reports are due in April. Submit your FY21 (5-BF-2012) and FY22 (5-BF-2022) reports to the PSC ERF system Submit your FY23 reports to the PSC Grant Management System.

Questions: PSCBroadbandGrantReimbursement@Wisconsin. gov Wisconsin Broadband Office Newsletter The Wisconsin Broadband Office will send out regular communication to internet service providers, grant applicants and broadband stakeholders. We aim to be relevant and share timely information from our office.

Please reach out if anyone from the Wisconsin Broadband Office can be of assistance or if you would like to request a staff member attend a meeting or make a presentation to your group. Email Us Public Service Commission of Wisconsin Hill Farms State Office Building 4822 Madison Yards Way, Madison, WI 53705