Internet

A state senator from Lowell wants Michigan to follow the lead of some other states and require users of certain websites and apps to provide proof they are 18 or older. The proposal, which raises some privacy and free speech concerns for the ACLU and Electronic Frontier Foundation, would also give parents more control over their children’s use of social media.

The Trump Administration asked states to find the lowest-cost option in the latest program to build broadband infrastructure in rural areas. That opens the door for more types of technology, which some worry could be less reliable in the long-term.

The U.S. Department of Commerce has terminated the State Digital Equity Capacity Grant program after President Donald Trump declared it "unconstitutional." This has put the future of Michigan’s Inclusive, Training, Technology and Equity program on pause.

WCMU's David Nicholas interviews Katy Xenakis-Makowski, superintendent of the Johannesburg-Lewiston school district, about recovering from the ice storm and the challenges her students face.

New fiber optic cables will soon be installed in Midland.

The cable would run underwater in Lake Michigan, stretching from Charlevoix to the Central Michigan University Biological Station on the eastern portion of the island. Another segment would extend from the northern part of the island to the Upper Peninsula.

Northern Michigan University will receive $27 million to replace telecommunications equipment it purchased from Chinese manufacturers that is now considered a security risk.

It marks steady progress on the way to making 72,000 connections across the state under a current grant program initiated through the Michigan High-Speed Internet Office known as ROBIN (Realizing Opportunity with Broadband Infrastructure Networks).

The millions of dollars in grant money come from 2021 bi-partisan infrastructure law and will be distributed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Last year, Presque Isle Electric & Gas Co-op reached their 1,000th fiber internet customer. Now, they have over 4,400 customers and are roughly halfway through their construction roadmap.