A northern Michigan telecommunications co-op has been awarded $12.7 million dollars from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to expand its broadband footprint.
The project is made possible through the USDA's ReConnect Program, which is funded through Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
The program is part of the Biden Administration’s “Internet for All” initiative to connect all Americans to high-speed internet by 2030.
This is the ReConnect Program's fourth round of funding, which has made nearly $700 million available to rural residents in 22 states to connect them to high-speed internet.
The expansion of Allband’s fiber network will impact customers in Alcona, Iosco, Montmorency and Oscoda counties.
Brandon Fewins, the USDA Rural Development Director for Michigan, said the plan to expand broadband in the state will help to improve businesses in rural areas.
“As a business owner, especially for small businesses in rural parts of our state, you have to have access to high speed internet, broadband. If you don't, you're at an economic disadvantage,” he said.
Fewins said the project will help to close the digital divide between rural communities and their urban counterparts and grant new opportunities for rural people, such as educational opportunities as well as access to healthcare options online.