CALUMET COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — In a survey about current internet speeds, about half of the residents and businesses surveyed say they are dissatisfied or very dissatisfied.
That’s according to a broadband access study New North, Inc. conducted.
Fast, reliable internet service, especially when the pandemic hit, could no longer just be viewed as a luxury, but a necessity.
“Through COVID, we saw it with people working from home, students doing schooling from home, tele-health and, as a region, we thought, ‘Hey, what can we do to help?’” said New North vice president of business development Barbara Koldos.
The study took place over the final four months of 2021 and included input from both households and businesses throughout the New North region.
Residents and businesses from 18 different counties, including those here in Calumet County, took part in the survey.
“We had students work remotely – you can’t do your homework, you can’t talk with your teachers if you have no internet access,” said Mary Kohrell, community economic development director for Calumet County. “We know we had schools that had to send hotspot type equipment home with students, because they literally had no service.”
Throughout the county, there are several “dead spots.”
County officials say the worst is along the west side of Calumet County; the east shore of Lake Winnebago. Tackling those problematic areas was the driving force behind the study.
“We worked with our consultants to work on a report to see where the gaps were, what kind of speeds people were really getting, and the hope is that we can take these findings and be able to go after those grant dollars that are out there and available for infrastructure,” Koldos.
The work was funded by a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration, with $125,000 in matching local funds.
The executive summary of the report and the full regional report are available on the New North website.
