County executive forms new advisory committee to study broadband internet access

Enhancing efforts to improve access to broadband internet service throughout Kenosha County will begin with the creation of a committee tasked with studying these challenges, particularly, in areas that are currently underserved by high-speed internet providers.

The Kenosha County Community Broadband Advisory Committee’s mission includes providing critical input on developing a comprehensive plan for facilitating broadband development and delivery, County Executive Samantha Kerkman said Wednesday announcing the establishment of the new panel.

The committee will generate informed recommendations to local, state, and federal legislators, community leaders and private organizations.

Kerkman said the advisory panel is also directed to foster collaboration, encourage coordination of efforts where appropriate and provide a community forum for updates on known private-sector projects.

“This committee is all about sharing information and collaborating, to encourage and enable private investment in broadband infrastructure,” Kerkman said. “I look forward to productive discussions that will lead us toward finding solutions for areas of the county and communities that now lack access to high-speed internet service.”

The committee’s creation comes on the heels of the county’s ongoing efforts to collect internet speed test data from residents, which in turn can be used in private providers’ efforts to receive federal and state support to expand their services.

More details are available on the webpage and residents are still encouraged to take this survey at https://www.kenoshacounty.org/quickconnect.

Kenosha Police Department Safety Officer Tyler Cochran speaks to families about internet safety Thursday night (April 7, 2022) at Pleasant Prairie Elementary. Cochran is known to the community as the police department’s “Officer Friendly.”

Terry Flores

Kerkman’s appointments to the Broadband Advisory Committee will be established over the coming months. Under an executive order that she issued Wednesday, comprising the panel will be representatives from the:

• Kenosha County Board (one designee)

• Kenosha Unified School District (one designee)

• School districts west of Interstate 94 (three designees)

• Higher education (three designees)

• Municipal and community leaders (seven designees)

• Regional economic or planning organizations (one designee)

• Business or health care industry (three designees)

“As we’ve seen increasingly during recent years, affordable, reliable access to broadband internet is no longer a luxury; it’s essential for families and businesses,” she said. “In creating this committee, it’s our objective to improve access throughout Kenosha County.”

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Intro

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The COVID-19 pandemic brought into focus an indisputable fact about the U.S. today: access to quality internet service is key to full participation in society and the economy. As workplaces and schools moved online and households increasingly relied on internet-enabled services like ecommerce and streaming platforms, those with good internet service were better able to manage the transition than those without.

But inequitable access to high-speed internet has been an issue for much longer than the last two years. Policymakers and business leaders—especially those from low-income and rural communities—have long advocated for increased investment in broadband infrastructure to unlock greater economic opportunities in underprivileged areas. These efforts, along with the access issues raised during the pandemic, have inspired major action over the last two years. Federal COVID relief legislation like the CARES Act and American Rescue Plan included funds to support broadband expansion, and a $65 billion investment in broadband was one of the major components of the bipartisan infrastructure package signed into law last November.

The importance of connecting more Americans has grown as the internet has become a more ubiquitous part of society and the economy over time. Beginning in the 1990s, the internet moved from primarily government and academic uses to application for communications, business, and other wide-ranging uses. By 2000, just over half of U.S. adults reported using the internet in some capacity, and innovations like ecommerce and smartphones encouraged even greater adoption in the two decades since. Today, 93% of American adults report using the internet, according to a recent survey by Pew Research Center.

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