| The Chippewa Valley is one of five Wisconsin demonstration communities that will share in two federal grants totaling $32.3 million to improve high-capacity Internet access and use. The grants, awarded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, were announced August 18 by University of Wisconsin-Extension Provost and Vice Chancellor Christine J. Quinn.
Approximately $11.5 million of a statewide infrastructure grant will be invested in the Chippewa Valley area to help with the construction of more than 200 miles of fiber-optic cable connecting key community institutions, including government, public safety agencies, health care providers, libraries, schools and other sites. The construction also will include more than 1,300 square miles of WiMax (wireless) coverage in Eau Claire and Chippewa counties to serve city and county governments and schools. The project also will improve the Chippewa Valley’s fiber-optic access to Superior, Menomonie, Mondovi, Wausau, Marshfield and Stevens Point.
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