Rep. Phil Montgomery, R-Ashwaubenon, said a federal plan to map of broadband Internet service availability would create a tool that is "obsolete the second it's created."

The committee, despite Montgomery's claims, approved $1.7 million in ARRA funding to produce the map.

Montgomery said a better use for the funding would be to purchase the equipment needed to expand broadband.

But the majority disagreed, passing the expenditure 13-1. Sen. Mark Miller, the Monona Democrat who co-chairs the committee, said he applauds the feds commitment to expanding broadband access, and to do that a map is essential.

"I certainly wouldn't want us to stand in the way of the expansion of high-speed Internet," he said.

The Legislative Fiscal Bureau said the map is scheduled for completion by February 2011, and there may be subsequent grants available to update the mapping.

-- By Greg Bump