Building Broadband Momentum in Berrien County

Berrien County’s 580 square miles encompasses 39 villages, townships, and cities. The county, situated on Lake Michigan’s eastern shore, is dominated by agriculture and tourism; many Chicago residents’ vacation homes are located here. A lack of broadband infrastructure in the county is actively threatening industrial innovation and hampering quality of life for residents as needs and demand for connectivity increase. As of today, the county has made substantial progress toward universal access within the community. Critical to these efforts were two behind-the-scenes champions: sixth-generation family farmer and County Commissioner Teri Sue Freehling, and landscape architect turned regional planner John Egelhaaf. Together, Teri and John provided the momentum necessary to capitalize on recent funding opportunities and deliver an actionable plan for improving broadband connectivity for their community. Teri’s acute ability to ignite a personal connection with residents from every walk of life and John’s persistent belief in the power of information have been critical drivers of Berrien County’s efforts to connect everyone in the county to broadband.

[Pierrette Renee Dagg is a Benton Institute Digital Opportunity Fund Fellow, the Director of Technology Impact Research at Merit Network, and a PhD student at University of Toledo. This is the first of six case studies that seek to understand the stories of broadband community champions and the factors that contributed to their success. This research is supported by the Marjorie & Charles Benton Opportunity Fund.]