More than 12,790 addresses in Jackson County are eligible for a program to expand high-speed Internet access statewide as of the start of 2025, Ben Muscott, Jackson County Director of Information Technology, said in a presentation to county commissioners Monday, Jan. 13.
Michigan received more than $1.5 billion in federal dollars through the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program to expand high-speed Internet access. This program is funded through the $65 billion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
The 12,000 amount is an increase of about 70% from previous estimates, Muscott said. The increase is the result of a successful challenge submitted by the county for jurisdiction over eligible locations in the area.
The “BEAD State Challenge Process” is a means to determine the unserved and underserved locations that are eligible to be connected through grant funding.
Since July 2024, Jackson County has been challenging the company Mercury Broadband in its claims that it provided high-speed service to much of Jackson County, threatening to limit the amount of grant funding available to county, Muscott said.
“(Mercury) hasn’t done anything, all they were trying to do was gobble up the county,” said board Chairman Steve Shotwell.
The Federal Communications Commission ruled in December that Mercury was not adequately servicing Jackson County, opening the door for the county to lay claim to thousands of addresses that would be eligible to receive funding, Shotwell said.
The county will be working with broadband vendors in early 2025 to develop proposals and apply for grant funding, Muscott said. The vendors will be the ones to apply and receive state grant funding.
“What we can do is make sure the communication is being consistent with our townships, and with the other stakeholders involved to make sure we’re getting the most we can for Jackson County through the process,” Muscott said.
Pre-registration for grant funding was opened Jan. 9 and will be available until Mar. 10, according to the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity. More information is available on the department’s website.
The state hopes to give every Michigander an affordable and reliable high-speed Internet connection that meets their household needs by 2030, according the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program’s five-year action plan.
Jackson County will make an interactive map available in the coming months to allow residents to see if they qualify for enhanced broadband service, Shotwell said.
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