Southfield -based 123NET said Wednesday, Feb. 5 , it entered an agreement with Lee Township to build an additional 15 miles of fiber for approximately 600 underserved homes as part of a larger broadband project for Allegan County.
The $65 million, countywide project includes building approximately 1,100 miles of high-capacity fiber. Pullman, a rural area in Lee Township, now has been added to the project, with the township and county each contributing about $450,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds to support incremental costs.
“Leveraging our ARPA funds enabled us to included Pullman in 123NET’s broadband infrastructure development project across Allegan County,” Lee Township Supervisor Rich Rawson said in a statement. “Rural Digital Opportunity Fund and USDA Reconnect grants have been awarded to vendors for areas north and south in Lee Township, but the Pullman area remains unserved and unfunded.
“With 123NET already active in the region, this partnership brings this essential service to our residents.”
Construction on 123NET’s open-access, carrier-neutral fiber network in Allegan County began in 2023, and over 50% of the initial project is complete as of December 2024, according to 123NET.
Construction in Lee Township is expected to begin in August, and the full countywide project is expected to wrap up by year’s end. 123NET said it is using both internal and local resources for the project, including West Michigan contractors and multiple in-house construction crews.
“Lee Township is embarking on its largest infrastructure investment to date,” Chuck Irvin , chief revenue officer at 123NET, said in a statement. “They have heard the concern from residents over the past several years that access to reliable and affordable Internet is critical and still unavailable.”
Residents of Lee Township and all of Allegan County can sign up or check availability for service at 123.net/Allegan-county.
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