BRANCH COUNTY — County commissioners invited Frontier Northern communications executives back April 18 to discuss gaps in the county’s service internet plan.
In a March presentation, a map of Frontier service showed that significant areas in Sherwood, Butler, Gilead and Noble townships were not receiving Frontier fiber service as part of opportunities realized under a $22.4 million state Broadband Infrastructure Network grant awarded last June.
As part of the grant, Branch County also contributed $1 million to the project in American Rescue Plan Act funding.
David Cleveland, managing partner of Redding-based DMCI Broadband, said in an interview Monday that his company plans to cover some of those areas and could serve households outside of Frontier plans.
“We plan to serve some of those areas. We have interest in Butler and Gilead,” Cleveland said. “We’re close to Sherwood.”
DMCI is currently installing fiber optics in the Town of Matteson, west of Matteson Lake Road.
Cleveland expects to begin connecting 446 homes and businesses along 24.5 miles of fiber in June.
Cleveland said the area could expand. “People reach out and ask you when you’re going to be here.”
Cleveland said construction was slowed down by Miss Dig finding other utility lines for DMCI drills to install the pipes.
DMCI will launch a fiber optic line from just south of Bronson to Lake Gilead, serving Noble and some Gilead towns. May 1 is his target date to begin developing the system.
Cleveland said the new areas are part of a USDA Reconnect grant that DMCI will submit next month.
The company received a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide additional services in Branch and Hillsdale counties.
Branch County Clerk Terry Kubasiak is concerned that areas excluded from the border services map could leave Butler, Gilead, Noble and Sherwood ) Township clerks in townships do not have access to the high-speed fiber optic service needed for voter and election processing.
Frontier’s proposal states, “Frontier is committed to providing fiber service in Branch County … and expanding our network into areas of the county where Michiganders currently have little broadband access.”
Frontier said the state excluded areas from the ROBIN grant.
FCC maps show that WOW and Mercury Communications already provide service to areas outside Frontier’s coverage area, but according to residents who live in those areas, not everyone has access.
previous storyBranch County receives $22.4M in rural fiber internet grant
During the COVID-19 pandemic, local surveys found that about 35% of Branch County homes and businesses need higher internet speeds and services for educational and business purposes.
The county has set a goal of providing high-speed fiber optic internet connectivity throughout the county by 2026.
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During the 2023 bid process, County Administrator Bud Norman said 20% to 25% of the population did not have fiber connectivity.
Most providers now consider 1 GB service standard.
— Contact Don Reid: dReid@Gannett.com