Michigan Now Has a High-Speed Internet Office

Opinion

By Jennie Hoffman | April 23, 2022

A strong, reliable internet connection is a necessity of modern life. From connecting with friends and family to paying bills or taking online classes, the internet has become a basic utility. For many communities across Michigan, internet access is still unattainable. This soon can change. Thanks to the efforts of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Legislature, the Michigan High-Speed Internet Office will become operational at last.

Back in the summer of 2021, Gov. Whitmer created the Michigan High-Speed Internet (MIHI) Office to be a single point of contact for everything internet-related. According to MIHI’s website, more than 212,000 Michigan households lack high-speed internet access. At a time when remote work, online job applications, school projects, and the like are more prevalent in our day-to-day lives, our state government should be doing all it can to connect homes as quickly as possible.

But for months, MIHI sat as just a shell because the legislature hadn’t yet approved the funding and full-time staff. That meant they couldn’t do the important work of mapping out which areas still require broadband infrastructure or coordinating the various federal projects that are expected to come this year, because each state must have a single point of contact office as a requirement for these federal funds.

It was clear that the state legislature needed to pass the funding for the MIHI office. As the connectivity liaison with the nonprofit Center for Change Northern Michigan Advocacy Group, I helped gather our close allies and partners, and we started to inform the public about why getting the MIHI office up and running was so urgent. Together with American Federation of Teachers Michigan, Michigan Farmers Union, and Progress Michigan, Center for Change pounded the pavement to make our voice heard on this issue.

I also had the chance to travel to Lansing in March to meet with our elected officials. I specifically had the opportunity to discuss this issue with my representative, John Damoose (R – Harbor Springs), and based on our conversations, it became clear that the legislature was serious about the need to expand high-speed internet. However, there was not yet a clear commitment to Michiganders to provide the funding and full-time staff for the MIHI office. Our Lansing visit put this issue at the top of the minds of our legislators, and a few weeks later, we finally accomplished our goal.

Rural communities in Michigan have been falling behind, but much-needed relief is coming our way with $65 billion specifically earmarked for broadband from the federal government’s historic infrastructure funding. This means we can finally fill in the gaps between those with internet access and those without, and MIHI will be the one-stop shop where this coordination can now take place in our state.

Last month, Gov. Whitmer signed the Building Michigan Together Plan, a bipartisan supplemental budget package that invests in critical needs for our communities from water infrastructure to roads and bridges. The plan also included a whopping $250 million for broadband infrastructure, with some of that money specifically earmarked for the MIHI office.

When I heard this news, I was elated, not just because of the win for our communities, but because it showed that when we work together, we can accomplish so much. AFT Michigan, Detroit Disability Power, Michigan Education Justice Coalition, Michigan Organization on Adolescent Sexual Health, Michigan Farmers Union, Progress Michigan, Southwestern Michigan Urban League, and Oakland Forward all pitched in and showed what can happen when we make our voices heard.

But our work is far from over. Now that the MIHI office is finally funded, Center for Change will continue to be a stalwart advocate for the northern Michigan communities that still lack high speed internet. We will continue to ensure that MIHI is working wisely and effectively and that our legislators continue to give this issue the attention and resources it needs.

All Michigan residents, whether rural, suburban or urban, deserve an equal playing field. Whether we’re talking about education, tele-health, our economic well being, or our connection to our communities, it is time to make sure all Michiganders, regardless of background, income, or ZIP code have access to quality, affordable high-speed internet.

Expanding internet connection and access across Michigan is one of the clear-cut ways we can close the divides that presently exist, especially in rural areas. MIHI will soon play a central role in bringing us closer to a connected Michigan. Now, let’s get to work!