According to a UW-Whitewater report, the buffering icon on your device could cost your community thousands, if not millions, of dollars. The Door County Economic Development Corporation and County of Door officials commissioned the study from the university's College of Business and Economics Fiscal and Economic Research Center to learn about habits from the county's secondary residents. Unlike tourists, secondary residents own a home in Door County but do not claim it as their primary residence. According to the study, secondary residents said they would stick around Door County for about 15 more days yearly if they had reliable, high-speed internet. As it is, those 15 extra days could generate an extra $750,000 in state and local taxes and stimulate the economy with more than $18.6 million above the $110 million that secondary residents generate annually. DCEDC Executive Director Michelle Lawrie says reliable high-speed internet could address other issues.

Lawrie says they plan on visiting municipalities with this data as a sign of encouragement for them to address the importance of broadband access in their communities. You can click here to read the entire study.