The Vilas County Economic Development Corporation is almost to its goal of having 90% of the county connected to high-speed internet.
Board Chair Jim Tuckwell said they set out on this goal five years ago. They did this through what Tuckwell calls the “broadband buddy program”.
VCEDC worked with individual towns to educate them. It was a focal point for internet service providers.
“The internet service providers didn't have to deal with each town individually. They could work with and through us, and we would host the update sessions, and we would bring everybody together. It made it much, much more efficient for the internet service providers,” said Tuckwell.
VCEDC also worked with the Lac du Flambeau Tribe which was able to establish its own internet provider business, Eighth Fire Communications. They’ve bringing internet to tribal and non-tribal members.
“They are doing a phenomenal job of building a high-tech business and bringing fiber to the community on the reservation. They've just done a wonderful job,” said Tuckwell.
Tuckwell says they didn’t set a goal of 100% of the county connected to fiber because it’s not a cost-effective solution for some homes that are truly off the beaten path.
A lot of the fiber work has been funded by the federal BEAD Program. Tuckwell says its currently being redeveloped but expects to funding flowing from next year.
‘Living the vision’
Both Tuckwell and VCEDC Executive Director Kathy Schmitz says they’ve already heard from people that are visiting longer or have moved to the county because of the high speed internet.
“We are living the vision of what we started five years ago,” said Schmitz. “North of Highway 8, Vilas County truly is a broadband destination for remote workers, entrepreneurs and expanding businesses.”
Getting people to stay longer in Vilas County was one of the many goals VCEDC had in mind with its broadband plan. A study from 2014 estimated seasonal homeowners spend an average of $74 a day locally.
“People were telling us then, ‘If I had broadband, I'd spend more time here.’ Particularly our seasonal homeowners,” said Tuckwell. “Now they're telling us, ‘I am spending more time here.’ They're telling us what they're doing, and it's just really, really encouraging.”
The VCEDC is also hoping now that broadband is established in most of the county, remote workers and entrepreneurs will choose to move to the area.
Schmitz says they’ve already seen signs of it working.
“I met with two more remote workers who are here from different parts of the country, who moved here. They're tech people, and they're able to do that from Vilas County, and they absolutely love it,” said Schmitz. “It's so exciting to see this energy here, and so we're happy to help and support them in any way that we can.”
VCEDC is launching a first-of-its-kind broadband destination campaign called Northwoods Charm. Big City Connection.
They’ll be targeting remote workers and entrepreneurs throughout Wisconsin, northern Illinois, and the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.
“You can live your best life now here. You can live and work successfully here from the Northwoods,” said Schmitz.
The ads will appear on streaming services and social media. They feature Schmitz, a local business owner, and a remote worker who relocated from Boston. It’s expected to run through 2025.
VCEDC received grants from Incredible Bank and a private foundation to develop the campaign and promote it.
