Gov Whitmer & Lt. Gov Gilchrist Announce Planning Project to Connect Michiganders to High-Speed Internet

Gov Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) and Lt Gov Garlin Gilchrist II (D-MI) announced that the state of Michigan has partnered with Connected Nation Michigan to lead the Broadband Infrastructure Audit and Validation project over the next six months. 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. 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.