MILWAUKEE (AP) — Wisconsin will get more than $65 million in federal
stimulus money to provide broadband Internet access for rural areas of
the state.

U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl said Wednesday the loan and grant funding from the
U.S. Department of Agriculture is expected to provide high speed
Internet access for more than 30,000 individuals and 1,300 businesses
in rural Wisconsin.

Broadband carriers have struggled to provide service to rural areas
because of the cost of building the infrastructure for less populated
areas.

Some $2.5 billion in funding for the USDA Broadband Initiatives
Program was included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.