Michigan Plans To Expand High-Speed Internet Access To Residents

LANSING, MI — Michigan is launching a new office devoted to bridging the digital divide and making high-speed internet more affordable and accessible to people across the state.

The creation of the Michigan High-Speed Internet Office was announced Wednesday by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer at the Dick & Sandy Dauch Club, part of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan.

“COVID-19 has only confirmed how the lack of high-speed internet access can cause too many Michiganders to struggle in their ability to engage in online learning, to use telemedicine to seek needed healthcare, to search for a new job or to take advantage of all the online resources,” Whitmer said. “A fully connected Michigan is essential for our state to reach its economic potential in the 21st century global economy.”

More than $2.5 billion in potential economic benefit is left unrealized each year due to the digital divide, the state said in its announcement. Officials said the divide includes the hundreds of thousands of households that have not yet been reached by high-speed internet infrastructure as well as the estimated 865,000 households that are disconnected due to the cost of subscribing to service or purchasing an appropriate device, a lack of digital skills or other related barriers.

Gaps in high-speed internet availability, affordability, adoption and use disproportionately impact communities of color, those in rural areas, and low-income households, officials said.