Connectivity is now essential infrastructure, and in Juneau County, it’s opening doors for economic recovery and growth
Known for its forests, lakes, and cranberry farms, Juneau County, Wisconsin has long attracted seasonal residents and tourists from larger cities like Chicago and Minneapolis. But behind the vacation homes and natural beauty are a group of hardworking local leaders using broadband to bring a small town’s economy to life for locals and tourists alike.
With just under 27,000 residents and a rural landscape that spans small towns like Mauston, Camp Douglas, and New Lisbon, Juneau County faces many of the same challenges as other rural places: a shrinking workforce, decline in businesses, and gaps in broadband connectivity. Tamaya Oldenhoff, Juneau County’s Economic Development Coordinator, explained the challenge directly and succinctly: “The quality of internet access is now directly tied to our ability to grow.”
Thanks to Lynxx Networks, a local fiber provider headquartered in Camp Douglas, the broadband gaps are quickly closing, and the rest of the economy is starting to turn a corner as well. This case study explores how Lynxx Networks is helping Juneau County strengthen its economy, expand opportunity, and support the kind of homegrown businesses that can thrive when high-speed broadband is available, even in the most rural parts of the state.
A local provider steps up to connect their community
Like many rural counties in the Midwest, Juneau County has historically relied on manufacturing as a cornerstone of its economy. However, like many regions across the United States, particularly the rural Midwest, it has experienced a decline in manufacturing employment over the past decades. Researchers have found that about 88% of the decline in manufacturing jobs is due to automation and productivity improvements (Hicks and Devaraj, 2015). Yet even as technology was shifting the economic landscape, much of the early investment in broadband infrastructure flowed to larger metropolitan areas, leaving rural places like Juneau County with limited digital connectivity and fewer opportunities to diversify into emerging industries.
Providing fiber and broadband access in Juneau County is challenging due to its low population density, expansive rural landscape, and heavily forested areas, which make building and maintaining infrastructure costly and logistically complex. In such areas, the high upfront investment often isn’t easily offset by a large customer base, creating economic hurdles for providers.
Lynxx Networks, originally founded as New Lisbon Mutual Telephone Company in 1907, rebranded in 2018 and now serves customers across a 70-mile stretch through Juneau and neighboring counties. Lynxx Networks has built a nearly universal fiber network in its service area, offering gigabit service to more than 5,000 customers and powering essential institutions like hospitals, military bases, and schools. Recognizing that building infrastructure alone isn’t enough, Lynxx Networks has also invested in increasing broadband adoption by offering affordable service packages, providing community education about digital tools, and working directly with schools, healthcare providers, and local governments to ensure residents and businesses can fully leverage high-speed connectivity. This focus on adoption has helped translate infrastructure investment into economic and social benefits across the county.
Major institutions in the region now rely on Lynxx’s fiber backbone. Mile Bluff Medical Center, the largest employer in Juneau County, uses Lynxx to power everything from electronic health records to remote pharmacy services. As City Administrator Daron Haugh noted, this “Connectivity has become essential to government operations and residents’ daily lives, supporting everything from telehealth to remote work.”
At Volk Field Air National Guard Base, Lynxx Networks provides the connectivity that supports advanced training simulations and secure communications. Every August, the base hosts Northern Lightning – one of the premier joint training exercises in the country. Fast, reliable broadband is essential during this two-week operation, supporting everything from flight simulators to energy systems that power the training infrastructure.
Lynxx Networks’ fiber network has also proven critical for the Tomah Area School District, which credits the company with helping them reach 99.99% network uptime. In one case, the district saved more than $54,000 annually by switching to Lynxx to connect a rural elementary school previously served by a high-cost provider.
Broadband access is also essential for modern manufacturing and other businesses because it enables advanced technologies, real-time data exchange, remote monitoring, supply chain management, and e-commerce, all of which are critical for staying competitive and efficient in today’s economy.
Figure 1 provides a snapshot of broadband adoption across the county. With more than 82% of households subscribing to broadband in 2023, up from 73% in 2018, Juneau County shows a strong performance when compared to the rural counties in the bottom quintile for broadband adoption.
These “rural low performers” are counties where infrastructure investment and adoption significantly lag, due to economic and geographic barriers. Juneau’s adoption rate is a key indicator of how local investment, like that from Lynxx Networks, can help overcome these challenges and close the digital divide.
As highlighted in the Beyond Connectivity report from the Center on Rural Innovation, rural communities see the greatest benefit from broadband when high-quality infrastructure is paired with high adoption rates and the types of value-added services that help businesses leverage broadband. Juneau County is well-positioned to realize that benefit with this local investment enabling new forms of economic activity – from remote work and tourism-driven migration to small business growth and digital entrepreneurship.
A rural economy shaped by digital migration and remote work
Lynxx Networks’ presence has supported a growing trend: an increase in seasonal or part-time residents who stay longer in the community and contribute more to the local economy. Juneau County has a high volume of seasonal and second homes, and many new residents began as short-term tourists who now choose to stay for whole seasons, for both work and vacation. Reliable broadband makes that transition possible. These trends are reflected in Figure 2 below, which shows an increase in housing permits since 2014 and a steep rise in housing permits in 2020. Lynxx’s investment in broadband ensures that these new homes are equipped for modern life and work.
“If they can be in a cabin on a lake, and still have the connectivity they did in Minneapolis or Chicago, they can stay here,” Tamaya Oldenhoff said. “And the more time they spend here, the more likely they are to start a business, invest in the community, or make this their permanent home.” Indeed, Figure 3 shows that Juneau County has seen a steady increase in its population over the last decade due in part to the high quality of life afforded by a county with abundant natural amenities and broadband.
In Mauston, Lynxx Networks provides service to the Office Lounge, a local coworking space that gives remote workers access to reliable, high-speed internet and a place to connect with other remote workers and the larger community.
Like many rural areas, Juneau County has faced persistent economic challenges over the past two decades, including a slow recovery from the 2008 recession and additional setbacks during the COVID-19 pandemic. Employment took a bigger hit in Juneau County than in many other rural areas during the pandemic (see Figure 4). That sharper decline has made the path to recovery steeper, but also underscores the importance of the progress now underway. As Figure 3 shows, the county is beginning to climb back, a sign that local investments may be starting to pay off.
With broadband expansion creating new opportunities for workers, businesses, and institutions, Juneau County is laying the groundwork for a more resilient economy. For example, although still a small share of the economy at 1.3% of total employment, tech employment has nearly doubled since 2018 – rising from 0.7% to 1.3% (see Figure 5).
Tech jobs have increased by an impressive 76% in Juneau County between 2018 and 2023 – a faster growth rate than other rural counties, Wisconsin, and the nation (at 26% growth between 2018 and 2023). This suggests that the groundwork is being laid for broader participation in the digital economy.
Supporting entrepreneurship in small towns
Juneau County’s small business community has long been shaped by self-reliance and, at times, by the need to find opportunity in spite of limited infrastructure. The county’s rural location and historically slow economic growth have made it difficult for many entrepreneurs to thrive. But with the expansion of fiber broadband, new doors are opening. Lynxx Networks’ impact on entrepreneurship is felt across Juneau County. Since 2021, the number of businesses in Juneau County has increased by 6%. Access to reliable broadband infrastructure is a critical enabler of this growth.
Lynxx Networks makes a difference for local farmers. With Wisconsin being a top cranberry producer in the U.S. and world, the area is home to many cranberry farms including Juneau County’s Cutler Cranberry Company. With Wi-Fi-enabled machinery, if issues arise, Cutler Cranberry can troubleshoot them remotely through off-site tech support. The sooner problems are identified, the sooner the factory is back up and running during the busy cranberry harvest season.
Through various partnerships and initiatives, Lynxx Networks contributes to building a robust support system for small businesses and entrepreneurs in Juneau County. Lynxx Networks is a member of the Juneau County Economic Development Corporation. The Juneau County Economic Development Corporation hosts Juneau County’s Inventors and Entrepreneurs Club, a monthly gathering that brings together business owners, creatives, and community leaders to share ideas and build local support systems. Lynxx Networks is a regular sponsor of these events, and its fiber network supports a range of businesses that bring local services and goods to the broader world through the internet.
In 2025, Juneau County Economic Development Corporation received a $250,000 Small Business Development Grant from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation to establish five targeted programs focusing on entrepreneurial development, leadership, patents, startup support, and profitability investments. New initiatives and programs like this will help leverage Juneau’s broadband infrastructure for business growth in the future.
Deep roots, lasting impact
These gains are even more meaningful given the economic headwinds the region has faced. For decades, Juneau County lacked the resources and infrastructure that many urban areas take for granted. However, what the county lacked in infrastructure, it has made up for with community resolve. The presence of a provider like Lynxx Networks — one that is local, visible, and reinvests its success back into the region — has become an asset for residents and institutions.
Lynxx Networks’ impact reaches beyond infrastructure — it strengthens civic life and supports essential services. In West Salem, the police department relies on Lynxx Networks fiber to operate a growing array of digital tools, including body camera uploads, squad car video, and security systems. As Village Administrator Teresa DeLong shared, “West Salem police and operations have not experienced any interruptions of service since service was extended to the West Salem Community Center in 2018.”
That reliability also benefits educators, remote workers, and families across the village. “Lynxx Networks fiber optic internet is also a ‘must have’ for the West Salem School District educators and students and also remote workers,” DeLong added. The presence of fast, dependable service has made West Salem more attractive to new businesses and residents alike.
What sets Lynxx Networks apart isn’t just its technical capacity; it’s the company’s deep roots in the community. With 60 local employees and a history of philanthropy and service, Lynxx Networks has become a trusted partner to residents and institutions alike.
The company sponsors community festivals, donates books to school vending machines, and brings Wi-Fi to public spaces and schools. Its technicians serve on local boards and are woven into civic life.
“Big companies don’t support local communities. Local companies do,” said Mike Gnewikow, School Board President of the Tomah Area School District. “Lynxx Networks has proven their support again and again.”
This commitment to the community is delivering real results: more residents can access remote work, more students can learn online, and more small businesses have the tools to grow.
Looking ahead: Building a resilient rural economy
Lynxx Networks has already helped transform Juneau County, but the work is far from over. For a region that has historically struggled to bounce back from economic shocks, the road to recovery has taken time and commitment. Signs of resilience are everywhere. From growing employment to new business formation, the county is beginning to see the long-term benefits of expanded broadband infrastructure.
The company is still pursuing new grant funding to expand its fiber footprint even farther and reach the last remaining underserved areas. This effort will help ensure that every resident and business, no matter how remote, can participate fully in the digital economy.
This is the story of a small county recovering and advancing on its own terms, powered by a great local internet provider. With each mile of new fiber, Lynxx is strengthening the county’s economic foundation and creating more opportunities for growth. By pairing grit and determination with world-class technology, Lynxx Networks is turning digital potential into tangible growth.