Broadband Internet Expansion to Benefit Over 4,200 New Addresses in Rural Jefferson County

Charter Communications and Spectrum Internet announced this week, the expansion of Spectrum Internet, Mobile, TV and Voice services to more than 4,200 homes and small businesses in previously unserved or underserved addresses in portions of Jefferson County, Wisconsin.

“Our multi-year rural construction initiative is driven by more than $7 billion in private investment from Charter and will ultimately add an additional 100,000+ miles of fiber-optic network infrastructure and deliver symmetrical and multi-gigabit speed internet access to more than 1.7 million new locations across the country,” according to a Charter news release.

“Spectrum is bringing gigabit broadband to unserved communities in Wisconsin and across America,” said Matt Brown, Spectrum Area Vice President of Field Operations for Wisconsin.

Wisconsin State Representative Joan Fitzgerald, representing the 46th Assembly District which includes Fort Atkinson, most of Jefferson County and surrounding areas stated, “It is really exciting to be here today and to see all of the progress that we have made in the last five years to getting rural internet access.” Fitzgerald taught high school in Jefferson County for 33 years, said she realized rural communities were underserved by high-speed internet while she was teaching during the pandemic.

Ben Wehmeier, with the Greater Watertown Community Health Foundation, said smaller communities like Fort Atkinson often lack mental health professionals, and believes that the expansion of broadband should allow telehealth to fill that gap.

“Right now, what we are dealing with is mental health in Jefferson and Dodge County,” said Wehmeier. “We don’t score very well per capita for mental health providers and telehealth provides a great access point for that service to be provided in critical service times of need.”

“Charter’s activation of broadband service to over 4,200 new addresses in Jefferson County is a significant step forward in expanding rural broadband,” said United States Representative Scott Fitzgerald. “This expansion, driven by private investment and the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) program initiated during the previous Trump Administration, will help improve connectivity in rural areas. Ensuring reliable internet access for our rural communities remains a key priority of mine, and I’m encouraged by the progress we’re seeing in Wisconsin.”

“With Spectrum’s help, we have expanded high-speed internet access to more than 4,000 additional rural homes and businesses in Jefferson County,” said Michael Luckey, Jefferson County Administrator. “This investment will bring much-needed services here and help businesses across the county compete in the digital age.”

Local residents and business owners should visit spectrumruralexpansion.com to learn more about when their home or business may be able to receive Spectrum services.

Photo courtesy Charter Communications