More than $1.5 billion coming to Michigan to improve internet access
LANSING, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - Michigan will see a $1.5 billion influx to improve the state's internet access.
The funding comes from the Biden administration and is expected to connect more than 200,000 Michigan homes.
"It's not as dense as of a population, and therefore it makes it more difficult to justify the business case of the expense of deploying fiber out in those areas," said Dan Manning, of the reasons why rural areas often get poorer internet access.
Manning works as a broadband solutions manager with the nonprofit organization Connected Nation.
"It's certainly not intentionally, but there are some pockets and some demographic groups that have been particularly affected by this due to affordability reasons or just because of where they live," he said.
In some locations, the population is so sparse it doesn't make financial sense for internet companies to provide service.
"There isn't broadband infrastructure where the math doesn't work," said Evan Feinman, program director for the Broadband Equity and Deployment program.
This influx of funding from the federal government is meant to address this problem not just in Michigan but across the country.
"This money was appropriated by the Congress when they wrote, and then the president signed the bipartisan infrastructure law or the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act," said Feinman.
In total, the Biden administration allocated about $65 billion to address internet access issues.
Now that Michigan knows how much money there is to work with, the Michigan High-Speed Internet Office will begin planning how to reach every Michigander.
"Areas that are either currently unserved don't have any kind of broadband service today or are underserved, or they're getting low quality or low-speed service-- those are really the target areas where that money's going to be distributed or where that buildout will actually take place," said Manning.
The money will become available in the middle of next year.
Officials tell CBS News Detroit Michiganders will have an opportunity to look at the plan to connect everyone and give their thoughts before crews hit the streets laying fiber.
