Questions Asked About Wisconsin's Broadband Spending

There continue to be questions about more than $100 million in coronavirus stimulus money that Wisconsin spent on broadband internet expansion. Sen. Eric Wimberger, R-Green Bay, on Wednesday questioned the state’s Public Service Commission about last September’s audit that stated there was almost no tracking of what was spent, what work was done, or if the new internet access even worked. “One of the things that is kind of hidden throughout this, is an ongoing theme that we’re seeing with federal funds. The last audit hearing we had was with the Department of Administration, and what we learned there is that there are no records in particular regarding the distribution of funds, and how those things are chosen,” Wimberger explained. “The governor’s office, apparently on a series of phone calls or discussions, was handing out hundreds of millions of dollars to particular departments without a record to explain why.”