The state of Michigan has been awarded more than $1.5 billion in federal funding to establish high-speed Internet access in regions that have slow or no Internet access.
The billions of dollars being sent to Michigan to improve Internet access comes from a $42.5 billion federal program aimed at ensuring access for every home and small business in the country. President Biden signed an infrastructure bill in 2021 that establishes several Internet expansion initiatives, including this Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program.
States will use the money to establish Internet in “unserved” and “underserved” communities, with a priority on the former. Unserved communities are defined by their lack of access to Internet speeds of at least 25 megabits per second download, and 3 Mbps upload. Underserved communities don’t have access to 100 Mbps download speeds, or 20 Mbps upload speeds.
“High speed Internet isn’t a luxury, it’s an essential service that we need for everything from work, school, doctors’ visits and paying our bills,” said Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow.
Biden was set to announce Monday, June 26, how the $42.5 billion will be divvied up around the country. Michigan lawmakers said Monday that the state is set to receive $1.5 billion from the program — about 3.5 percent of the program’s funding.
States will use the money to establish Internet in “unserved” and “underserved” communities, with a priority on the former. Unserved communities are defined by their lack of access to Internet speeds of at least 25 megabits per second download, and 3 Mbps upload. Underserved communities don’t have access to 100 Mbps download speeds, or 20 Mbps upload speeds.
Like all states benefiting from the program, Michigan will have until the end of the year to submit initial proposals for how the money will be used. A state will receive the funding once its Internet expansion plans are approved.
Earlier this month, Michigan was awarded $61 million in federal funding to improve Internet access to more than 35,000 homes in rural Michigan counties. The funding will be used to place more than 500 miles of “new broadband fiber to connect local networks to high-capacity national and regional network,” according to a press release on Michigan Sen. Gary Peters’ website.
Also announced in June, a more local initiative is seeking to expand Internet access in Detroit. Work is underway to establish free public Wi-Fi at five parks throughout Detroit. The city has offered free public Wi-Fi at busy Downtown Detroit locations since 2021 — including at Campus Martius Park, Cadillac Square, Capitol Park, Grand Circus Park and the Woodward Esplanade — in an effort to help the community stay connected and bridge gaps in Internet access.
In 2021, officials said about 63 percent of Detroit’s low-income households lacked a home Internet connection. That figure was 35 percent nationally.
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