ALPENA — The coronavirus pandemic paralyzed the world in early 2020 and forced much of life online, exposing huge gaps in internet coverage in rural and poor areas of the United States, including Northeast Michigan.
With classrooms closed, businesses asking employees to work remotely, criminal cases being heard via video conferencing, and even many medical appointments being conducted over Zoom, thousands of Northeast Michiganders are finding their homes and businesses lack the tools they need to log in with the rest of the world infrastructure.
The area has seen some improvements since then.
For example, Presque Isle Electric and Gas Cooperative has connected 3,800 homes and businesses to its new fiber system since 2022, and companies like Allband and Centurylink continue to expand fiber to more customers in Northeast Michigan.
But despite millions of dollars in state and federal investments, about a third of the homes and businesses in Alpena, Presque Isle, Montmorency and Alcona counties remain Unable to get modern internet speeds.
News Photo by Mike Gonzalez Photo by MyMichigan Medical Center Alpena nurse Mia Valley demonstrates how a telemedicine cart works at the hospital Thursday. The cart is used for patients who need to speak with a medical officer from another MyMichigan Health facility.
The state aims to use nearly $1.6 billion in new federal funding to connect every home and business in Michigan to reliable, affordable high-speed internet, but the process may not be completed until 2030.
At the same time, thousands of households across the region are struggling to fully interact with an increasingly digital world.
For students, for example, “seven hours a day trying to fit everything in is a challenge for schools, especially those who are trying to catch up and close learning gaps,” said Alcona Community Schools Superintendent Dan O’Connor. “Once the clock ends at 3:10 or 3:15 p.m., their opportunity to learn is over, especially if they don’t have access to the internet.
“A lot of people are talking about the internet being a utility, like electricity, and that’s probably the direction things need to go,” O’Connor added. “At this point, it’s almost non-negotiable.”
“Not a lot of access or options”
Jessica Rudd, assistant director of the Alpena County Library, said many people visit the library to use public computers or bring their own devices and use the library’s free Wi-Fi.
“I know some of our customers live in further parts of the county without a lot of internet access or options, and they come here to do basic household chores,” Luther said. “They pay their bills, look for a job, update their resume, look for housing, sign up for health insurance, schedule a doctor’s appointment, and then someone comes in and does something simple like banking.”
Thousands of Northeast Michiganders cannot do these things at home, and Northeast Michigan is more isolated than the rest of the state.
The chart below shows the proportion of homes and businesses in each county that have insufficient internet connectivity and no connectivity at all. The story continues below.
As of last summer, 24% of households in Alpena County, 47% of households in Presque Isle County, 37% of households in Montmorency County and 35% of households in Alcona County lacked internet, which the federal government considers download and upload Speeds are extremely low according to the latest data from the Federal Communications Commission.
Only 8% of Michigan households lack basic internet.
According to the FCC, fewer businesses are connected in Northeast Michigan, with 47% in Alpena County, 68% in Presque Isle County, 39% in Montmorency County and 55% in Alcona County. of businesses lack basic internet speed.
About 14% of businesses in Michigan lack basic internet.
In total, about 16,500 places in Northeast Michigan lack high-speed internet, according to the state broadband office.
FCC data is based on input from Internet service providers and the public. The FCC only began accepting public questions about ISP data in the summer of 2022, making previously released federal data incomparable to the latest information.
FCC data shows there was little improvement in conditions in Alpena, Presque Isle or Montmorency counties from the summer of 2022 to last summer. In Alcona County, however, 35% of households did not have adequate internet speed last summer, down from about 50% the summer before.
Eric Frederick, chief connectivity officer for the Michigan Office of High Speed Internet, said the data is “much better than before” but still likely overstates internet coverage.
Frederick’s office last month launched a new process through which local governments and other agencies can challenge internet service providers’ claims about broadband coverage. The process is expected to take about four months. When it’s complete, the state hopes to have a more accurate picture of where internet access is lacking, giving Frederick’s office a starting point as it aims to connect everyone within the next six years.
“We need to know where the errors in the FCC data are so we can make sure no one is left behind,” Frederick said.
‘Need to offset these market dynamics’
Frederick said the United States has largely allowed private companies to build broadband infrastructure. Private companies build where they can get the most people to sign up and get the greatest return on investment, leaving many small towns and their surrounding rural areas out of the equation.
“We’re talking about the most rural and remote parts of the state that have been left behind by the private sector,” Frederick said. “This is a dense, market-driven game, and those of us who live in rural areas of the state were not a part of that market. Until COVID. Then we have to be. We need to offset those market dynamics.”
While state and federal governments have provided funding for broadband expansion for years, President Joe Biden’s administration last summer announced $42.5 billion through the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Initiative to connect all U.S. homes and businesses by 2030 to high-speed internet.
Michigan received less than $1.6 billion, ranking fourth among the 50 states, which Frederick said shows “we still have a lot of work to do.”
Once the challenge process is over, the state will look for bidders — primarily internet service providers like Spectrum, but also local governments and nonprofits — to build the necessary infrastructure to bring high-speed internet to places that currently lack it .
Frederick said the first projects are expected to break ground in mid-to-late 2025. Contractors have four years to build, with the possibility of a one-year extension, meaning the last homes may not be online until 2030.
Many households will likely get internet access before then through other projects already underway and funded by existing state and federal programs. The Michigan Office of High Speed Internet map shows much of Northeast Michigan being served by existing programs, including the FCC’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund and the Enhanced Alternative Connectivity America Cost Model.
The BEAD program is “cleaning up” other programs, filling the gaps left by them after they have installed installable content, Frederick said.
Some have criticized Michigan’s BEAD program.
Citizens Against Government Waste, a Washington-based group, singled out Michigan’s plan because of its high cost per unserved location and its broad definition of a “community anchor” that guarantees access to high-speed internet. Michigan’s plan would guarantee internet access to multiple stadiums, convention centers and even zoos.
“Many of these institutions should not be eligible under the program’s guidance,” Theodore Bolema, a senior fellow at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy in Midland, wrote in a February blog post. “The sports venues, convention centers and many private for-profit businesses on the list are located in areas that already have the most high-speed internet access.”
Frederick said the state knows many of these places are already accessible.
“I wouldn’t build for them if they were already providing services,” he said.
‘There is such a divide’
MyMichigan Health, owner of Alpena Hospital in Midland, offers patients more convenience through what it calls “virtual care visit locations,” facilities where patients can see doctors from far away virtually through a medical device. During the meeting, these devices can communicate the patient’s vital signs information to the patient. doctor.
But some older Presque Isle County residents don’t have access to hospitals or other facilities, so they turn to libraries, said Amber Alexander, director of the Presque Isle Regional Library.
Alexander said the problems facing Northeast Michigan go beyond the ability to connect.
“The older population hasn’t fully mastered this knowledge and digital understanding, so there’s this divide,” Alexander said. “And, honestly, I know some young people who don’t know what they should know about computers. So what happens when they get older and refuse to learn the latest technology? We want to help, but we don’t want to be there to go into detail Your medical concerns.”
In addition to installing infrastructure so people can connect to the internet, the state also plans to take steps to ensure people can connect to the internet.
First, any entity receiving BEAD funds must offer a low-cost Internet subscription.
In Michigan, ISPs aim to offer $30-a-month subscriptions to low-income households, Frederick said. Meanwhile, the FCC’s Affordable Connectivity Program provides low-income households with a $30 monthly Internet subscription subsidy. The state hopes to tie the two programs together so those who can’t afford an internet subscription can log in for free.
The only problem is that Congress has yet to provide new funding for affordable connectivity, so the program may not exist after this month.
About 1 million Michiganders currently use the program, Frederick said.
Cost is the main reason why people with internet access don’t sign up, he said.
The state also plans to use federal funding received through the federal Digital Equity Act to remove other barriers, such as a lack of digital expertise. The state’s draft digital equity plan says the state will work with libraries, schools and other institutions to help train Michiganders on how to use the internet.
“We really have to hit a one-two punch,” Frederick said.
Michigan’s draft digital equity plan lays out how the state will help Michiganders get connected once the infrastructure is installed.
Michigan Digital Equity Initiative JustinHinkley on Scribd
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Photo illustration: Angie Hall
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News Photo by Mike Gonzalez Photo by MyMichigan Medical Center Alpena nurse Mia Valley demonstrates how a telemedicine cart works at the hospital Thursday. The cart is used for patients who need to speak with a medical officer from another MyMichigan Health facility.