Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist recently announced the state of Michigan is partnering with Connected Nation Michigan to lead the Broadband Infrastructure Audit and Validation project over the next six months. This project will utilize $5.2 million in federal CARES Act funding to conduct a full accounting of the state’s high-speed internet service to identify gaps and provide a clearer picture as officials plan to significantly expand access through the bipartisan federal infrastructure funding. 

“In today’s society, the fastest way to create an even playing field and grow our economy is through affordable access to high-speed internet,” said Whitmer. “When we make investments in this critical infrastructure, we can help businesses grow and lower costs for Michiganders to connect to the internet so they can go to school, access health care, participate in the economy, and more. This critical service is not a luxury – it is a necessity. Today’s announcement will help us chart out how to efficiently expand high-speed internet access in communities across our state.” 

This effort will help identify and map the precise location of existing high-speed internet assets in the state and the areas where access to high-speed internet is absent along more than 65,000 miles of public right-of-way. Understanding where high-speed internet access and assets exist, and where there are gaps, will be critical in both securing and prioritizing the $100 million in federal funding that is anticipated to be coming to Michigan for high-speed internet infrastructure buildout. 

To address this disparity, the Michigan Strategic Fund approved up to $5.2 million from federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) funds to Connected Nation Michigan for the Broadband Infrastructure Audit and Validation project. The funds were allocated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) with the specific purpose of assisting with COVID-19 pandemic response and recovery. In addition, CDBG CARES funding should be used to fund eligible activities related to drive longer-term recovery and revitalization for low- and moderate-income individuals. 

“Every person in Michigan must have access to fast, affordable, high-quality internet service where they live so that all of our communities can thrive,” said Gilchrist. “This effort will use a statewide, coordinated approach to gather information in every zip code that will enable us to increase internet access and adoption, and identify the resources we need to connect every household and business in every community in Michigan.” 

Access to high-speed internet is vital to people’s ability to work, learn and carry out business. While funded by the Michigan Strategic Fund, the Broadband Infrastructure Audit and Validation Project will be implemented in full partnership with the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) Michigan High-Speed Internet Office and complements the many requirements new federal programs will place on the office. States are required to identify all eligible locations for federal investments within their borders and this project will do just that. The sooner Michigan can identify these locations, the more efficient and accurate infrastructure plans can be, and the sooner funds can be administered for new network deployments. 

“To lift more Michiganders up with equal opportunity and set Michigan up for economic prosperity, we need to remove barriers in high-speed internet availability, affordability and adoption that disproportionately impact communities of color and low-income households,” said LEO Director Susan Corbin. “This once-in-a-generation investment will help provide the framework to eliminate the digital divide, remove barriers and implement programs that assist Michiganders with access and adoption of high-speed internet.” 

The Broadband Infrastructure Audit and Validation project will allow the state of Michigan, its CDBG program, communities, regions, and internet service providers to make informed decisions regarding the efficient expansion of high-speed internet service throughout the state and better target its grant funding in a way that will result in productive high-speed internet expansion and support for Michigan. 

In 2021, Governor Whitmer established the Michigan-High Speed Internet Office to help address the lack of high-speed internet that creates a barrier to online learning, healthcare and economic opportunity. MIHI will continue to convene and coordinate departments and agencies to further align and coordinate work being done related to high-speed internet access; serve as a single-point-of-contact for internet service providers, communities and local units of government, community anchor institutions, and individual Michiganders; and build awareness of state and federal resources and funding opportunities. 

In 2020, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation partnered with Connected Nation Michigan to facilitate the Connecting Michigan Taskforce, an interagency working group to improve the access, adoption, and use of high-speed internet and technology across Michigan. 

“High-speed internet is critical for success in today’s world,” said Michigan Economic Development Corporation CEO and Michigan Strategic Fund President and Chair Quentin Messer Jr. “We are committed to working alongside our private industry partners in this effort, realizing that by working together to tackle this statewide issue, collectively, we will generate greater economic impact in affording more of our 10 million plus friends and neighbors counting on us to get consistently reliable high-speed internet connectivity right across our great state.”