(The Center Square) – Michigan will receive nearly $1 billion in federal funding for high-speed internet investments throughout the state.
The announcement came this week and, including private investments, the project will total $1.47 billion.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer celebrated Michigan’s receipt of $920 million.
“When we expand access to affordable, high-speed internet, we open doors to jobs, healthcare, education, opportunity and so much more,” Whitmer said. “We’re making historic investments across the state to ensure that no matter where someone lives or works, they have the connectivity they need to thrive and reach their full potential.”
The federal grant funding is part of the $42.45 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program, which was first passed in 2021. The goal of the program is to ensure every American—including those in rural, underserved, or low-income communities—has access to reliable, high-speed internet.
Through this program, Michigan, and the nation, is receiving its single largest investment in high-speed internet infrastructure.
The Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity’s Michigan High Speed Internet Office will be implementing the state’s program.
“We’re committed to expanding opportunity in every corner of the state, and we know that access to reliable, high-speed internet is no longer a luxury,” said Eric Frederick, MIHI chief connectivity officer. “This funding will help us continue building critical infrastructure allowing us to bring high-speed internet statewide.”
It anticipates the funding will help connect nearly 200,000 homes, businesses and institutions to internet over the next four years. Unserved and underserved areas of Michigan will be prioritized and this will be done via more than 31,000 miles of fiber-optic infrastructure.
This is not the first taxpayer-funded internet program in Michigan.
In addition to BEAD, MIHI’s Realizing Opportunity with Broadband Infrastructure Networks Program has already connected more than 33,000 homes and businesses to fiber-optic high-speed infrastructure.
The $238 million ROBIN program was launched in 2023 and is also funded by federal grants, though these are coming from the U.S. Treasury as a part of the Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund.
MIHI anticipates that program will connect an additional 50,000 Michigan homes and businesses to internet in 2026.
Advocates for these programs argue that Michigan has an especially high need for funding to build its infrastructure, pointing out that the state has the third-highest number of BEAD-eligible locations in the nation.
“Expanding access to affordable, fast internet will help more Michiganders access health, wealth and opportunity,” said Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist II.
So far, all but three of the 56 U.S. states and territories have submitted their final proposals for the BEAD funding. Of those, 29 have had their proposals approved.
According to Connected Nation’s BEAD Tracker, the average cost to provide internet per location nationally is $6,036. Compared to many other states, Michigan’s cost is on the lower end per location. In Michigan, that average cost is $4,243.
Strategic Management is slotted to roll out the majority of the Michigan locations, followed by 123NET and Surf Internet.
