High-speed internet access to come to rural Outagamie County

APPLETON, WI – (WGBW & WISS) – A 2.7 million dollar grant will help bring high-speed internet access to over 900 rural locations in Outagamie County. Brightspeed will use the grant to deploy 120 miles of fiber internet. The grant comes from Outagamie County’s decision to use ARPA funds for rural broadband access. Service to some locations could come as early as 2026.

Press Release

OUTAGAMIE COUNTY ADVANCES RURAL BROADBAND DEPLOYMENT WITH $2.7 MILLION GRANT

Outagamie County, WI – Outagamie County proudly announces the allocation of $2,693,852 to Brightspeed to connect over 900 rural locations in Outagamie County to high-speed internet access.

The project will deploy 120 miles of fiber internet across Outagamie County, serving 956 locations. Upon completion, connections will meet or exceed symmetrical 200 Mbps download and upload speeds for all locations. Brightspeed has recently rolled out a new service package for customers that will accommodate speeds of up to 2 Gbps symmetrical speed. All 956 locations will have access to 2 Gbps upon completion.

The project will take about 2.5 years to design and construct. Service to some locations should be available as early as Q1 2026. Service packages will be offered without data caps, without installation fees, and without requiring contracts.

This grant stems from Outagamie County’s strategic decision to allocate $2.75 million of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds towards rural broadband.

For more information, please visit: www.outagamie.org/government/outagamie-county-s-implementation-of-the-american-rescue-plan