On Tuesday, July 30, 2013, Don Sidlowski, founder of NWBDC, had an hour-long meeting with Wisconsin Assembly District 34 Representative Rob Swearingen at his place of business Al-Gen Restaurant in Rhinelander. Along with other rural legislators, Representative Swearingen was instrumental in getting restored to Governor Walker’s current biennial budget the $4.3M in grants for broadband expansion in unserved and underserved rural areas. Working together, Rep. Swearingen and the NWBDC will identify target communities in District 34 that could qualify for pilot projects using the grant money. Says Don, “Having Representative Swearingen committed to making broadband one of the defining issues of his time in office is huge for Northern Wisconsin. Securing ongoing funding for broadband expansion and adoption is going to be an annual fight for a limited pool of dollars and won’t happen without legislators who understand its critical importance to job growth and economic expansion in Wisconsin”.