You could have shared the ferry cabin with Governor Tony Evers on Thursday as he visited Washington Island as a part of his tour touting the recently announced broadband access grants from the Public Service Commission. Over $16 million in grant money was awarded to 24 projects across the state, including Washington Island ($2,500,000 with $2,806,000 match) and the Town of Jacksonport ($500,000 with $2,714,576 match). The grant will help the Washington Island Electric Cooperative begin the final phase of bringing fiber internet to 786 locations across the island. Since the school was one of the first places to be connected to the fiber line, Robert Cornell from the Washington Island Electric Cooperative pointed the former state superintendent toward Washington Island School to visit before heading back to the mainland. Principal Tim Verboomen says it was a great experience for the kids to meet the governor and for the governor to see how the state’s investment in bringing fiber internet to rural areas like Washington Island is paying off.

The state received 74 applications for grant money to be used for broadband purposes, totaling more than $73 million.

Picture courtesy of Washington Island School