Dane County Broadband Task Force

The Dane County Broadband Task Force works to expand broadband infrastructure throughout the County, and to promote equity in broadband access, affordability, and digital literacy.

The Dane County Board of Supervisors established the Dane County Broadband task force in 2021 to study access and affordability of broadband in the rural areas of the county. The task force met for over a year to study the issues and to establish recommendations to the County Board about how to increase Broadband access to those households that lack or have inadequate access to broadband. Year two of the effort is focused on affordability and putting in place structures for implementation of the recommendations.

The Broadband Task Force has advanced the County’s response to insufficient infrastructure by detailing the extent of the problem, establishing a map of current infrastructure, and developing recommendations to improve the existing infrastructure so that all residents and businesses have access to reliable broadband services. 

The Task Force has accomplished the following:

• Implemented a survey of the rural population to better understand limitations of the current infrastructure.
• Developed recommendations as to how the County can support a comprehensive broadband infrastructure.
• Hired a consulting firm to conduct a broadband infrastructure engineering assessment to map existing coverage; analyze costs, timelines, business models, and range of high-speed technologies; and coordinate broadband expansion with local units of government.
• Secured County Board approval to create a Broadband Coordinator position within the Planning Department. 

Extension Broadband Planning and Support

UW-Madison Division of Extension provides support to communities statewide to accelerate broadband access, increase adoption, improve digital literacy, and reduce digital inequities. Follow the link above for access to webinar recordings and broadband resources.