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Mike Horace: Michigan's high speed Internet office, or MIHI recently reported that they helped connect 10,000 homes and businesses to high-speed Internet. It marks steady progress on the way to making 72,000 connections across the state under a current grant program known as Robin. Eric Frederick is the state's chief connectivity officer. He spoke with WCMU's David Nicholas about the milestone and about what is next for his office.
Eric Frederick: Our projects are spread from one end of the state to the other. There's projects going on in the southwest corner of the state, all the way up to the Upper Peninsula and everything in between. So it's really all of our grantees that are working very diligently to build these networks and start connecting residents. This is a very fast moving project; all of the funds have to be spent and the projects complete by the end of 2026. So it's really great to see our grantees really getting out there and starting to build these networks as we move into the winter months, which is a little harder for Construction as you might imagine, but we definitely love to see homes getting connected, business is getting connected, and our grantees really getting out there and starting to build these networks.
David Nicholas: Then where would we be aiming next? What would be another project that's potentially in the works with grant funding coming in, or whatever the case may be?
EF: Yeah, that's that's a great question. So Robin really is the tip of the iceberg for the state of Michigan. There are a number of programs right now that are funding broadband construction across the state, Robin is just one of them. The FCC is also funding a number of programs across the state. The US Department of Agriculture is funding a number of projects across the state. But really, the next big thing is the B.E.A.D. program: broadband equity access and deployment program that is funded by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration or the NTIA at the Department of Commerce. Michigan was allocated $1.559 billion in that program - the fourth highest allocation in the country - and that program is designed to get everywhere else.
So like I said, all these other programs are building right now and certainly there's parts of our state that already have service. But B.E.A.D. is designed to get everywhere that doesn't have it and we are excited that the B.E.A.D. program is going to connect 238,000 homes, businesses, and institutions over the next several years. MIHI is getting ready to open up our subgrantee selection process for the B.E.A.D. program, where just like Robin will select subgrantees to receive those grant funds and go out and build these networks. So, I guess that Robin really is the tip of the iceberg for what we're going to be doing in Michigan to ensure that every home has broadband available to it, and the B.E.A.D. program represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to make sure that we can reach that goal.
DN: Does it have a timeline that is at some point going to kick in, as to making sure that the funds are fully utilized? Or are you starting to put together the design in the timeline for when you want to see all of this completed, and then you all break out the case of champagne that you've been keeping on ice to have the big toast when those goals are met?
EF: Yeah, we're very, very quickly moving to a definitive timeline for the B.E.A.D. program. We plan to open our subgrantee selection process just after the first of the year next year, and once we have sub grantees - which will likely be the end of 2025, and those grant agreements are signed and all the paperwork is done - those grantees have four years to build. So if construction starts in late 2025, early 2026, that gets us to completion of those projects by 2030, and I know that's a really long timeline, but we want to make sure that we're taking full advantage of this again once-in-a-generational opportunity to have investment of this scale to connect nearly a quarter million locations in the state of Michigan. So we are moving quickly in the B.E.A.D. program, there's a lot of progress, right now. The train has definitely left the station on B.E.A.D. and there's no slowing it down. So we want to make sure that we're getting these funds out the door, we're getting our subgrantees in order, and they can start building those networks just as quickly as they can.
DN: Michigan's Chief Connectivity Officer, Eric Frederick, thanks as always for the update. Don’t worry, the champagne will keep on ice as you move forward, but congratulations on the milestone within Robin for the 10,000, and working towards the remainder of those funds and also picking up with the B.E.A.D. program moving forward. We appreciate the time today.
EF: Yeah, thanks. Appreciate it.
