Officials say a new high-speed internet project is continuing to make progress across northern Michigan. Peninsula Fiber Network and 123NET are overseeing the $87 million project that spans large swaths of the state.
The project, also known as Project IMPACC, will create three fiber optic cable networks across the state to help bring a more stable system to those who may not have steady access to internet yet.
One route will cross underneath Lake Michigan from Chicago to Benton Harbor, with the network trailing up to the Wayland area. Another is set to cross the southeast part of the state from Port Huron to Flint.
The final route will connect the Upper and Lower Peninsulas through Beaver Island, snaking from Gulliver to Gaylord. This will be the first inter-peninsula internet network that isn't connected to the Mackinac Bridge.
Jennifer Greenburg, vice president of government affairs for Peninsula Fiber Network, told WCMU this will be a huge economic opportunity for the island, as they are currently working off a much less stable microwave network and experience plenty of outages.
"We think about public safety, about medical advances, doctoring, telehealth all those things about living on an island," Greenburg explained. "This makes it more secure and will allow their connection to stay working."
The companies received a $61.2 million federal grant to help fund the project, the third largest of its kind.
"We feel very privileged that PFN received the third largest grant in the country. We're unique in that we're a peninsula, so we're surrounded by water. We were really able to use this grant to bolster Michigan's connections to other key locations," Greenburg said.
The project will be completed by the end of 2028.
