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MIHI Announces Second Round of ROBIN Grant Recommendations
Public Comment Open for Volume II of Michigan’s Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Initial Proposal
The Michigan High-Speed Internet Office (MIHI) is now accepting public comment on Volume II of Michigan’s Broadband Equity Access and
Deployment (BEAD) Initial Proposal. This document provides details on the subgrant program along with many other elements of the BEAD Program.
Public comment on Volume II of the BEAD Initial Proposal is open now through 11:59 p.m. on December 1, 2023.
MIHI recently closed the public comment period on the Volume I Initial Proposal. We are appreciative of the 62 public comments that were submitted, and are currently completing revisions based
on that feedback before submitting the final version of Volume 1 to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.
Read
the BEAD Initial Proposal Volume II here.
Comments
may be submitted through the webform here.
MIHI will also accept comments by postal mail to the following address: Michigan High-Speed Internet Office, Attn: Initial Proposal Comment, Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, 105
West Allegan Street, Lansing, MI 48933. Mailed comments must be postmarked December 1, 2023, or earlier.
BEAD Program FAQ
What is BEAD?
The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program – most often called “BEAD” – is the largest single investment in high-speed internet infrastructure in our nation’s history. While BEAD is
a national program, each state and territory will be implementing BEAD in their own way within the guidelines of the program.
How much money will Michigan receive through BEAD?
Michigan’s BEAD allocation is $1.559 billion, the fourth highest allocation in the country.
Who will benefit from BEAD?
BEAD is designed to ensure that every one of Michigan’s unserved and underserved homes and businesses can get connected to high-speed internet infrastructure.
How are unserved and underserved defined?
Unserved and underserved homes and businesses can be found throughout the entire State of Michigan, but, as you might imagine, are primarily located in our most rural communities.
A home or business is “unserved” if it does not have an internet connection available at a speed of at least 25/3 Mbps (25 Megabits per second download and 3 Megabits per second upload) from
either cable, fiber, or licensed fixed wireless technology. Based on data published by the FCC, we estimate that there are currently approximately 370,000 such homes and businesses in Michigan.
Similarly, a home or business is “underserved” if it does not have an internet connection available with a speed of at least 100/20 Mbps (100 Megabits per second download and 20 Megabits per
second upload) from either cable, fiber, or licensed fixed wireless technology. There are approximately 125,000 such homes and businesses.
You mentioned homes and businesses, what about institutions like schools and libraries?
Schools and libraries and other similar organizations are considered Community Anchor Institutions (CAIs). BEAD funds can be used to connect CAIs to internet service: so long as there are sufficient
funds to connect all unserved and underserved homes and businesses, then connections to CAIs that currently lack internet service that meet their needs can be funded.
BEAD empowers each state to identify which places and organizations are CAIs. Unlike for homes and businesses, the FCC does not; 1) maintain a list or map of all CAIs; or 2) collect data on
the availability of internet service to CAIs. MIHI has identified a broad range of organizations that serve the needs of Michigan communities and can help expand the use of high-speed internet, including schools, libraries, healthcare facilities, public safety
agencies, senior centers, government offices, and other community support organizations. Our list currently includes more than 24,000 CAIs, most of which are in areas of our state where high-speed internet is already available. Because of their unique role
as a “hub” for multiple users, CAIs must have a connection of at least 1/1 Gbps (one Gigabit per second for both download or upload speeds) to be considered served. MIHI estimates that only about one-third of the CAIs we’ve identified would be eligible to
be connected using BEAD funds.
Will BEAD be enough to connect everyone?
We believe so. MIHI estimates that Michigan’s BEAD allocation will be enough to ensure connectivity to every unserved and underserved home and business as well as the eligible CAIs. Guaranteeing
success will not be easy and it will take the creative, efficient, and transparent collaboration among everyone in Michigan to make sure we can reach our shared goal of universal availability of high-speed internet for all Michiganders.
How can I get involved?
There are several ways to stay up-to-date on all things MIHI:
Sign-up
for updates via our newsletter here.
Contact
us and tell us your internet successes or challenges here.
Join
our Partnership Roundtable and help us implement our programs here.
Updates & Resources
Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP): The ACP continues to provide eligible households with discounts
on home internet service.
Find out more, see if you qualify and spread the word about ACP here.
Digital Inclusion Providers: MIHI is creating an inventory of organizations and facilities that are providing
digital inclusion services. If you provide public access to computers, digital literacy training, cybersafety training or other similar services, click
here to join our growing database of practitioners and providers across the state.
Digital Inclusion Programs: The MIHI Office, in partnership with the Michigan Poverty Taskforce, has
gathered and published a library of resources, case examples and guides to creating local, community-driven digital inclusion programs. Find
the digital inclusion resources here.
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