Miles SmithA lack of access to high-speed internet has remained one of the biggest hurdles to jumpstarting economic development in places like Northern Michigan and the Great Lakes Bay Region, according to area officials.
To address those hurdles, state lawmakers created a program that will provide $238 million in grants to internet service providers and public-private partnerships (P3s) to expand high-speed internet service to underserved locations in the state.
State officials recently announced 18 projects have been approved for funding through the program, called Realizing Opportunity with Broadband Infrastructure Networks (ROBIN). The projects will connect more than 70,000 homes and businesses to high-speed internet.
The grants total $203 million and will be matched with $202 million in private funds. Nine entities applied for funding, including Spectrum Mid-America and the Great Lakes Energy Cooperative.
The Michigan High Speed Internet Office (MIHI) will announce a second round of awards later this year.
The ROBIN funds come from the U.S. Department of Treasury’s $10 billion Capital Projects Fund (CPF), which is designed to ensure communities have access to the high-quality modern infrastructure, including broadband.
In addition to broadband infrastructure, CPF funds can be used for critical projects that enable work, education and health monitoring in response to a public health emergency.
Through March 2023, CPF has awarded approximately $5 billion to 34 states to provide high-speed internet infrastructure to more than 1.4 million homes and businesses.
For example, in September, Oregon received $156.7 million from the CPF to increase access to affordable, high-speed internet to an estimated 17,195 homes and businesses.
