Submitted by Liz Gunderson, PPCS
ELLSWORTH, WI – On March 7, 2024, the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSC) awarded Pierce Pepin Cooperative Services (PPCS) $7.96 million to fund three projects across St. Croix, Pierce, and Pepin Counties. The Capital Projects Fund made the award possible, which included $42 million assigned to Wisconsin as part of the U.S. Treasury Department funds from the American Rescue Plan Act. Over $221 million in grants were requested from 124 grant applications. The applications submitted by PPCS were ranked #1, #9, and #15.
“We appreciate the trust placed in us by the PSC, allowing us to be awarded these grants to serve rural Wisconsin with fiber optic internet. We’ve applied for 19 grants over the past three years and received 17 awards for nearly $23 million,” stated PPCS President and CEO Nate Boettcher. Since PPCS started building fiber in 2021, over 7,000 locations have access to high-speed internet. The Towns of Pleasant Valley, Frankfort, Pepin, Stockholm, Maiden Rock, Villages of Elmwood and Pepin, and Pepin County supported the latest projects financially.
Boettcher added, “We can’t thank our public partners enough. They have the vision and courage to support these projects, knowing that broadband changes lives and helps improve our communities.”
Fiber construction will begin over the next several months. Work is currently being done to prepare the infrastructure to support fiber. Construction will continue throughout 2024 and into 2025, with home installations beginning at the end of 2024. Over the next six months, information will be provided to homeowners and businesses through a series of meetings and events.
“We take a lot of time to plan, develop, and prepare our project applications. Being awarded these grants is just the start of the hard work it takes to do this, but as a community-owned utility, we can’t wait to get started and begin delivering fiber-optic internet to our communities,” Boettcher stated. Fiber-optic plans include symmetrical download/upload speeds, home equipment, and optional phone service.
Customers interested in fiber-optic internet service can visit swiftcurrent.coop to register their interest.
