Broadband
Jaron McCallum is State Broadband Director, Alyssa Kenney is Digital Access Director, and Colter Sikora is Broadband Mapping Coordinator for the Wisconsin Public Service Commission.
PUF's Lori Burkhart: Talk about your backgrounds and what led you to the Commission.
Jaron McCallum: I grew up just outside of Madison, Wisconsin. I went to school at UW Madison, and I've been in the Madison area my whole life. I went to school for geography, cartography/GIS, and environmental studies.
Then I got into broadband mapping. There was a broadband mapping internship posted at the PSC, and I took it as I thought it would be a cool opportunity. I was previously working for TDS Telecom, a telecommunications provider based in Wisconsin, with a national reach. I started as a broadband mapping intern, then took a full-time position as a broadband mapping architect and learned a lot about broadband mapping.
I got into working with stakeholders, and more of the broadband policy side of things. Angie Dickinson, who was our former State Broadband Director at the PSC, took a job in Minnesota.
The Wisconsin State Broadband Director position was open. I applied for and got the job. That led me to where I am today. I didn't have a natural draw to telecommunications, but once I was in the field, I found it interesting. I'm happy to be here.