Great Lakes Wire

LANSING, Mich.—On June 16, 2023, Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced the National Telecommunications and Information Administration awarded a $61 million grant to Peninsula Fiber Network (PFN) to improve high-speed internet access for unserved and underserved communities across Michigan. This grant is being awarded with funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), and will help ensure Michigan residents have access to quality internet no matter where they live.  

  “From St. Joseph to Houghton, we are working to ensure every Michigander has access to quality, affordable high-speed internet,” said Governor Gretchen Whitmer. “I am proud of Michigan-based Peninsula Fiber Network for securing critical funding to connect more people to high-speed internet. Since I took office, we have expanded access to 23,000 more families and small businesses so students can connect with their teachers, people can access health care services, and companies can grow. We will keep working together to expand access to high-speed internet so everyone can ‘make it’ in Michigan.” 

  The $61 million grant is being awarded under the NTIA’s Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Grant Program, and the Michigan Department of Transportation had provided a letter of support for the project. The grant will allow PFN to carry out its Infrastructure for Michigan’s Peninsula and Critical Crossings (IMPACC) project. The funding will be used to place 535 miles of new middle-mile fiber through underserved and unserved communities across Michigan. The project aims to construct undersea routes between Charlevoix to Beaver Island to Guilliver in the UP, and Benton Harbor to Chicago as well as overland fiber routes connecting Charlevoix to Grayling, Port Huron to Flint and Benton Harbor to Grand Rapids.  

  “With access to affordable, high-speed internet as our tool, we can connect more Michiganders to economic opportunity,” said Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist II. “Governor Whitmer and I are committed to expanding access to high-speed internet throughout Michigan, and we have already connected more than 23,000 homes, businesses, and unserved locations. Today’s $61 million Middle Mile award will help ensure that no matter where you live in Michigan, you can learn, work, and connect with others through high-speed internet. We will keep working with anyone to connect Michigan families and small businesses and grow our economy.” 

The project will address the unique middle-mile fiber needs of Michigan’s two-peninsula state. The additional middle mile capacity will help provide lower costs and faster speeds for last-mile deployments while improving reliability and redundancy for existing networks across the state. 

“The MIHI team is thrilled that this crucial grant will address the unique middle mile fiber needs of our two-peninsula state and would significantly aid in the success of the BEAD program to achieve affordable, reliable high-speed internet for all Michiganders," said Eric Frederick, Chief Connectivity Officer with the Michigan High-Speed Internet Office. 

The Middle Mile Grant Program provides up to $1 billion in funding allotted by IIJA for constructing, improving and acquiring middle-mile infrastructure. The purpose of the grant program is to expand and extend middle-mile infrastructure to reduce the cost of connecting areas that are unserved or underserved to the internet backbone. 

 "As we become increasingly reliant on technology for education, work and daily life, equitable broadband access is more important than ever,” said Zachary Kolodin, Michigan’s Chief Infrastructure Office and Director of the Michigan Infrastructure Office. “With this $61 million grant, Michigan has now received more than $200 million in federal investment for high-speed internet access, helping to close the digital divide and ensure that all residents have equal opportunities for success in the digital age.” 

  “Internet connectivity is the backbone of Michigan’s economy, allowing businesses to thrive, connecting people to health care services and education providers, and helping people communicate locally and around the globe. This grant, combined with PFN’s own investment, will allow for the installation of middle mile infrastructure that will help to bring better and faster broadband to some of the largest underserved areas in our state while strengthening network connections between Michigan’s peninsulas and with a neighboring state,” said Peninsula Fiber Network General Manager Scott Randall. "We are thankful to our local, state and federal partners for supporting us in this grant and look forward to getting started on this vital infrastructure project.”  

Expanding High-Speed Internet for Michiganders

Governor Whitmer believes every family and business in Michigan deserves access to a reliable, affordable high-speed internet connection that meets their needs. High-speed internet expands economic opportunity for families, enhances educational experiences for students, and allows for remote access to key health care services. 

• Provided over 23,000 homes, businesses, and community anchor institutions like schools and libraries high-speed internet access since taking office. 
• Set a state goal to provide 100% access to high-speed internet and 95% adoption by households during the next five years. 
• Provided high-speed internet access to more than 18,000 homes and businesses, through the Connecting Michigan Communities Grant Program. 
• Leveraged over $700 million in federal funding and signed the Building Michigan Together Plan that invested $249 million to connect more families and small businesses to fast, reliable high-speed internet that meets their needs. 
• Named a Chief Connectivity Officer to lead the state’s broadband efforts and leverage funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). 
• Created the Michigan High-Speed Internet Office and the Connecting Michigan Task Force to coordinate the state’s high-speed internet work and align the work with economic development opportunities.

This grant is the latest in Michigan’s efforts to secure funding to improve the state’s high-speed internet infrastructure. Michigan High-Speed Internet office filed over 100,000 challenges to broadband maps published by the Federal Communications Commission, with an aim of ensuring accurate maps will lead to full and fair funding of Michigan’s needs for high-speed internet through the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program. Earlier this month, Governor Whitmer and the Michigan High-Speed Internet Office announced the kick-off of a statewide Michigan ACP Act Now Initiative to increase awareness of broadband benefits funded by IIJA that will help lower-income families pay for high-speed internet. 

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