For leaders in the Town of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, it’s been a long process, but their vision to connect the town with broadband connectivity is finally coming to fruition – thanks to a project with AT&T.
Almost two years ago, the town formed its Broadband Committee with a goal to bring high-speed internet to the community. A recent study had shown a large digital divide within the town, with 63 percent of properties reporting slow, expensive, or no broadband options. Of that 63 percent, many were low-income residents and school-age children.
Town leaders and the Broadband Committee set out on a mission to bridge that digital gap and ensure households and businesses within the town had access to high-speed internet.
Today, thanks to their diligent efforts to find the right provider, work is beginning on a project with AT&T to expand AT&T Fiber® to more than 670 residential and business addresses through the Town of Sturgeon Bay.
“We couldn’t be more excited to begin this project with AT&T to bring high-speed broadband to our residents,” said Jeff Feuerstein, Town Chair, Town of Sturgeon Bay. “The signing of our contract with AT&T represents a major milestone for the Town’s broadband project we presented a year ago – a project that has received overwhelming support from the Town. Our vision is to bring broadband connectivity across our community via AT&T Fiber within the next two years, and we’re eager for this project to begin this fall.”
Extensive planning and engineering work for the project will begin in the fourth quarter of 2024. The network buildout is expected to be complete within two years.
“We so appreciate the Town of Sturgeon Bay trusting us with this transformative project,” said Eileen Mitchell, President, AT&T Midwest States. “Wisconsin communities large and small deserve fiber connectivity. Working closely with the Town of Sturgeon Bay has shown how strong public-private projects can bring high-speed broadband and all its benefits to communities affected by the digital divide.”
Residents and businesses can learn more about AT&T Fiber at fiber.att.com and can sign up to be notified when service will be available at their address at att.com/notifyme.
AT&T’s Fiber Projects in Door County
This is AT&T’s third public-private project to deploy fiber in Door County.
The $5 million project in the Town of Sturgeon Bay is being funded by a $3 million investment from AT&T and a $1.45 million investment from the town.
AT&T is also currently working with the Town of Egg Harbor on a $8.5 million project to build fiber to more than 2,100 customer locations in the town. And the company is working with the Town of Sevastopol on a $7.4 million project to expand AT&T Fiber to more than 2,000 customer locations across the town.
These projects are also supported in part by federal award number CPFFN0201, awarded to the Town of Sturgeon Bay through $552,299 of funds, the Town of Egg Harbor through $960,000 of funds, and the Town of Sevastopol through $816,693 of funds, from the U.S. Department of the Treasury through the American Rescue Plan Act and the State of Wisconsin, acting by and through the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin.
