Biden administration sends Michigan $1.5 billion to boost high-speed internet access

The White House announced on June 26 that Michigan would receive $1.5 billion to expand high-speed internet access in the state. The newly announced money for the state is part of over $42 billion in new funds that will be used for broadband infrastructure projects in every state and territory and the District of Columbia.

The federal funding for Michigan is among the five largest in the United States, along with Alabama, Georgia, California, and Louisiana.

“In the 21st century, in America, high-speed Internet is not a luxury, it is a necessity. Every person in our nation, no matter where they live, should be able to access and afford high-speed internet,” Vice President Kamala Harris said in remarks at the White House announcing the investments.

The federal funds will come from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which President Joe Biden signed into law in November 2021. The new round of funding for Michigan comes in addition to $900 million to build out the state’s internet infrastructure previously allocated under the new law.

The Biden administration has described the infrastructure law, along with other major pieces of legislation like the American Rescue Plan, CHIPS and Science Act, and Inflation Reduction Act, as part of its “Investing in America” agenda.

“Today, we have won a game-changing investment to expand access to reliable, affordable high-speed internet to 210,000 more homes across Michigan,” Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a statement.

The states and territories will receive money through the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program. Each state will submit a five-year action plan detailing goals and priorities for expanding high-speed internet to underserved communities. Specific grants will then be awarded to projects focused on deploying those projects.

Zachary Kolodin, Michigan’s chief infrastructure officer, said in a statement that the program would ensure that “every home in all of Michigan’s 83 counties has broadband access.”

Studies have shown an ongoing lack of high-speed internet access in areas of Michigan.

A July 2020 report from the Brookings Institution showed that 70 of Michigan’s 83 counties had internet connectivity rates that were below the national average. While the state’s rural counties made up the bulk of areas with the worst coverage rates, there were also problems in the larger urban areas of Detroit, Lansing, and Flint.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the widespread need for reliable broadband internet as social distancing measures required many to work and study remotely.

Many in Michigan who lacked permanent high-speed internet connections had difficulty participating in those critical activities while schools and businesses were shut down.

Democratic members of Congress from Michigan voted for the INVEST in America Act, while the state’s Republican delegation voted against the infrastructure package.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.