Great Lakes Wire

DETROIT, MI – U.S. Senators Gary Peters (MI) and Debbie Stabenow (MI) on June 26 announced that the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is awarding $1,559,362,479 in federal funding to the State of Michigan for high-speed internet. The more than $1.5 billion in funding is made available by the Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment Program, known as BEAD. It is funded by the bipartisan infrastructure law the Senators helped enact.

“Reliable, affordable high-speed internet is critical for all Michiganders, including in unserved and underserved communities,” said Senator Peters. “I’m pleased to help deliver this game-changing federal investment in high-speed internet to our state. This will make a big difference for families, workers, students and small businesses, including to those who currently lack access, and is important to economic opportunity and competitiveness.”

“High speed internet isn’t a luxury, it’s an essential service that we need for everything from work, school, doctors’ visits, and paying our bills. With the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Senator Peters and I were able to ensure major investments like this to expand affordable, reliable broadband in Michigan. In partnership with Governor Whitmer and the Michigan High Speed Internet Office, this new infrastructure will allow for telemedicine, remote learning, and other services families and businesses rely on in Michigan,” said Senator Stabenow.

More information on the Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment Program can be found here. In 2020, Peters helped enact into law the bipartisan Broadband Deployment Accuracy and Technological Availability (DATA) Act with Senator Wicker. This helped modernize how broadband data is collected – helping to ensure accurate data for distribution of federal funds for high-speed internet including for the Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment Program.

This announcement comes after Peters and Stabenow welcomed more than $61 million in federal funding earlier this month to the Peninsula Fiber Network to connect unserved and underserved communities in Michigan to high-speed internet – made possible by the bipartisan infrastructure law. The project will place 535 miles of new broadband fiber to connect local networks to high-capacity national and regional networks, which will bring high-speed internet access to over 35,000 homes in rural counties in Michigan and increase the resiliency and reliability of internet infrastructure across the state.

Original source can be found here