Business & Economy

Michigan towns trying to catch up on broadband expansion

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By RAY WILBUR
Capital News Service
LANSING — Small towns across the state are eyeing ways to build their own utilities that boast high-speed internet reliability and better access for residents than traditional internet providers. They face one challenge: the cost. Fiber optic internet is faster than normal cable internet. It is less likely to crash during a power outage and isn’t affected by geography such as sand dunes or hills. Counties, cities and townships, especially where cable internet is inadequate, have begun to implement such systems, said Eric Frederick, executive director of Connect Michigan, a nonprofit organization that promotes broadband expansion across the state.

Business & Economy

Push underway to expand fast Internet service in rural areas

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By AMELIA HAVANEC
Capital News Service
LANSING – A vast majority of state residents have access to high-speed Internet, a tool which the global marketplace increasingly relies on, according to the Telecommunication Association of Michigan. Even so, pockets of the state still struggle with slow broadband speeds. “The broadband industry is based on household density,” said Eric Frederick, executive director of Connect Michigan and Connected Nation’s vice president of community affairs. “Broadband providers need a certain number of customers in an area in order to make their build-out of infrastructure profitable.”

Connect Michigan is a nonprofit tech organization that works to expand broadband. At its annual conference this month, speakers pushed for innovative ways to raise the supply and demand for broadband infrastructure in rural areas.