Whitmer Invests $3 M to Expand High-Speed Internet Access

by | Jun 15, 2022 | Regional News

Governor Whitmer Header

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 14, 2022

Contact: [email protected]

 

Governor Whitmer Invests $3 Million to Expand High-Speed Internet Access to 781 Homes and Businesses Across Michigan 

 

LANSING, Mich. – Today, Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced the state would invest an additional $3.3 million in funding to bring high-speed internet access to more residents, homes, and small businesses across the state. The funds, which are distributed under the Connecting Michigan Communities (CMIC) grant program, will go towards projects that will extend high-speed internet service to 781 unserved homes and business in Michigan.

 

“Access to reliable, affordable high-speed internet is critical for families, small businesses, and communities across Michigan,” said Governor Whitmer. “The funding in the Connecting Michigan Communities grant program helps us connect more Michiganders to high-speed internet that meets their needs and empowers them to succeed. I am also proud of the bipartisan broadband investments we secured in the Building Michigan Together Plan I signed earlier this year that will help us expand high-speed internet to even more families and small businesses so we can keep growing our economy.”

 

“With access to affordable, high-speed internet as our tool, we can connect Michiganders to opportunity,” said Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist II. “We can uplift communities, grow our economy, and boost access to education and healthcare. Governor Whitmer and I are committed to expanding access to high-speed internet in Michigan through Michigan’s High-Speed Internet Office and recent Building Michigan Together plan investments, which have already connected tens of thousands of families and small businesses. Today, we are proud to announce further investments through the Connecting Michigan Communities grant program. These funds will make a difference for Manistee, St. Clair, and Menominee. We will continue working with anyone to connect Michigan families and small businesses, grow our economy, and create real change.”

 

With high-speed internet becoming a necessity in our educational, professional, and personal lives, the CMIC grant program was established to expand broadband service to unserved areas in Michigan and supports the mission of the new Michigan High-Speed Internet Office (MIHI). This is the fourth round of awards.

 

The $3.3 million grant funding was awarded to three projects across the state and will impact 781 locations. The overall economic benefits from these infrastructure initiatives are estimated to reach up to $1.4 million annually.

APPLICANT

PROJECT NAME

GEOGRAPHIC SERVICE AREA

Project Total

Grant Award

Project Summary

AcenTek

Iron Fish

Manistee

$497,338

$248,669

AcenTek is proposing a fiber to the home project that will connect 57 locations in Manistee County with speeds up to 1/0.2 Gbps

Duke Broadband

Ira Expansion

St. Clair

$1,342,782

$858,227

Duke Broadband is proposing a fiber to the home project that will connect 367 locations in St. Clair County with speeds up to 1/.1 Gbps

Upper Peninsula Telephone

Wallace-Carney Exchange

Menominee

$4,338,647

$2,169,323.50

Upper Peninsula Telephone is proposing a fiber to the home network that would connect 357 locations in Menominee County with speeds up to 1/1 Gbps

 

The first round of CMIC grant funds were announced in October 2020, with $11.9 million awarded to 10 projects to expand high-speed internet to 14,205 homes and businesses. A second round of funding distributed $1 million to expand the program to an additional four projects in April 2021. Another $15.3 million was awarded to 20 new projects in June 2021, which expanded access to 6,729 residents and businesses. Overall, the total grant funds awarded so far will impact more than 23,000 locations in Michigan and generate annual economic benefits that could exceed $42 million.

 

All projects awarded funding have committed to working toward the governor’s plan to close Michigan’s digital divide by expanding broadband, driving down costs, and boosting digital literacy. The projects will provide training materials to residents and businesses in their proposed service area, while working with local community and anchor institutions and foundations to host events to promote e-learning, job, and workforce training.

 

Access to broadband and high-speed internet is vital to people’s ability to work, learn and carry out business. The COVID-19 pandemic has made it more imperative than ever and building and strengthening broadband infrastructure throughout Michigan will be a driver of economic recovery efforts statewide.

 

A full list of the CMIC grant awards can be accessed on the CMIC website.

 

Governor Whitmer’s Action to Expand High-Speed Internet

Governor Whitmer believes every family and business in Michigan deserves access to a reliable, affordable high-speed internet connection that meets their needs. High-speed internet enables communities to develop and attract jobs and businesses. It expands economic opportunity for families, enhances educational experiences for students, and allows for remote access to key health care services.

  • Set a state goal to provide 100% access to high-speed internet and 95% adoption by households during the next five years.
  • Provided high-speed internet access to more than 18,000 homes and businesses, through the Connecting Michigan Communities Grant Program.
  • Leveraged over $700 million in federal funding and signed the Building Michigan Together Plan that invested $249 million to connect more families and small businesses to fast, reliable high-speed internet that meets their needs.
  • Established the Office of Rural Development to focus on growing rural economies including through collaborations with the Michigan High-Speed Internet Office to boost high-speed internet connectivity.