United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County moving forward with broadband feasibility study

The United Manner of Better Milwaukee & Waukesha County is in search of RFPs to maneuver ahead with a broadband feasibility research this yr.

The research shall be targeted on learn how to present various broadband options to precedence areas and supply a set of potential options and suggestions for potential non-public and public sector collaborations.

David Berka, mission supervisor of information, analysis and useful resource fairness at United Manner, mentioned the research is a core a part of United Manner’s Techquity Initiative, which goals to make sure digital fairness and inclusion for all.

Techquity, launched in 2020, has a four-part technique geared toward guaranteeing digital fairness throughout Milwaukee, Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington counties. That technique consists of entry to gadgets, entry to broadband, advocacy for digital fairness, and selling digital abilities and literacy. A number of the areas which have essentially the most issues with entry to broadband are in Milwaukee County. In line with information from the 2019 US Census Bureau, at the least 25% of Milwaukee residents do not need broadband entry of their dwelling.

“This work round broadband actually comes out of one of many foremost methods inside Techquity. As soon as we had the main focus of increasing broadband entry to all of those areas, we began asking the query of what increasing broadband entry actually appears to be like like,” Berka mentioned.

For many of 2021, United Manner leaders have been targeted on having as many conversations with neighborhood leaders and stakeholders as potential to get a solution to this query.

“Broadband entry goes to be one thing that each single county within the nation goes to have to consider,” Berka mentioned. “It’s the same drawback to individuals having electrical energy and working water and warmth of their houses. If individuals don’t have these issues, it’s going to pose actual issues for them.”

United Manner additionally leads the Milwaukee Broadband Partnership, convening members of larger Milwaukee’s governmental, business, well being care, civic, and philanthropic sectors. Collectively, the partnership is constructing a multi-modal method to align new and current web suppliers right into a complete community targeted on fairness, accessibility, and affordability for metro Milwaukee residents.

RFPs for the feasibility research are due again to the United Manner by June 30. After that, Berka mentioned his workforce will possible take a couple of weeks to think about proposals. The method of finishing the feasibility research may take as much as 5 – 6 months. Extra info on United Manner’s RFP may be discovered on-line.