Data on broadband access in Southeast Michigan are available in SEMCOG”s Community Explorer tool.
SEMCOG’s recent webinar on The Critical Role of Broadband during the COVID-19 Crisis covered the importance of broadband (high-speed internet access) and how communities and educational institutions are responding to the need. Broadband enables online education, remote work, and connecting with friends and family, as well as essential services such as health care and groceries during this pandemic.
Lack of broadband prevents many from doing things that others take for granted. It particularly impacts students, seniors, and residents in rural and other underserved areas during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, broadband is not just a tool for addressing challenges created by COVID-19. It is a critical element of our infrastructure system – one that needs to be significantly strengthened to ensure that all Americans can access essential services during the crisis and into future as our economy recovers.
The 2010 National Broadband Plan stated that, “Like electricity a century ago, broadband is a foundation for economic growth, job creation, global competitiveness, and a better way of life.” Although there has been progress in expanding it over the last 10 years, much must be done to ensure greater access and awareness.
Source: Connected Nation – Michigan
Understanding the gap
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) defines broadband as high-speed internet delivered at speeds of 25 megabits per second (mbps) download and three mbps upload. While the definition is subject to amendment as technological advances increase demand for more speed, home internet speeds of 25/3 mbps are capable of supporting 3-5 devices, and video conferencing – generally sufficient for remote work and online education. Lower-speed internet is available in some places, but this often can’t support effective remote work or online education.
To access broadband, individuals, households, and businesses need the physical infrastructure and internet service. Infrastructure varies depending on physical circumstances and cost considerations; fiber, cable, satellite, and mobile broadband are commonly used in different areas. Cell phones provide the only internet access for many people, but service may not be sufficient or reliable for remote work or education functions.
Bridging the gap
The Michigan Broadband Roadmap, developed by the Michigan Consortium of Advanced Networks (MCAN) in 2018, created a policy agenda to provide access to unserved areas, increase broadband adoption, and promote Michigan’s broadband ecosystem. The roadmap found that nearly 10 percent of Michigan households do not have access to broadband, including about 368,000 rural households. Eric Frederick, Executive Director of Connect Michigan and Vice President, Community Affairs for Connected Nation, has been working with communities and the private sector to promote all aspects of broadband. Projects include:
- Updating broadband maps for the Michigan Public Services Commission,
- Studying rural telehealth implementation with the Michigan Health Endowment Fund and AARP, and
- Supporting the Michigan Department of Technology, Management, and Budget in the Connecting Michigan Communities grant program to expand broadband to underserved areas.
Broadband in Southeast Michigan
In Southeast Michigan, costs impact fixed infrastructure development by the private sector in rural areas. As a result, local governments, counties, and school districts have stepped up to provide it themselves. They’ve also developed public-private partnerships to build the infrastructure and then worked with an internet service provider to negotiate affordable service for residents. Two models that have worked in our region are the Lyndon Township Community Broadband project and St. Clair County RESA’s fiber network.
Lyndon Township Community Broadband
In 2013, only five percent of households in Lyndon Township (western Washtenaw County) had broadband; there were no entities willing to provide the service to the whole community. Resident Ben Fineman helped establish the Michigan Broadband Cooperative, a grass-roots organization to build community support and research different options. This led to a 2.9 mill 20-year millage to develop a $7 million fiber network; this millage passed with a 2:1 majority. As a result, the township established a public-private partnership with Midwest Energy and Communications (MEC), a nonprofit electrical cooperative, to provide internet service. The project is now being implemented; 200 of the 830 households that signed up for service are now connected. The remaining households will be connected by fall. Ben Fineman continues to be a leader in expanding broadband, now serving as Vice-Chair of the Washtenaw County Broadband Task Force, working on opportunities to expand broadband in 15 other townships.
St. Clair County RESA
St. Clair County RESA is also working on broadband issues. In the late 1990s, St. Clair RESA used federal and state funding to develop a 200-mile fiber network connecting 50 schools in seven districts, all public libraries, and several government offices. Over the years, RESA has carried out necessary repairs, but has looked for creative ways to upgrade its fiber network, add network redundancy, and increase bandwidth without incurring heavy debt.
Superintendent Kevin Miller says, “We partnered with three entities on a 10-year plan to expand and rebuild our network…with Lapeer ISD for maintenance on the areas in need of repair…St. Clair County to share capacity on their network and ours, and with 123.net for a new build.”
As a result of these partnerships, RESA now has 225 miles of fiber, saved $500,000 in repairs, and has access to 123.Net’s centralized data backup center in Southfield that also houses 40 different internet providers. The service cost for RESA went down from $25 per mb in 2000 to $0.14 per mb in 2020. Miller is proud to recommend this model of cooperation across the state for counties and intermediate school districts, universities, communities, and public and private partners.
From an education perspective, the fiber network gave schools and students in St. Clair County an advantage during the COVID-19 crisis, since so many parts of the county were connected. At the same time, the crisis revealed how a lack of broadband at home can seriously impact learning. About 85 percent of households in urban parts of the county have broadband, compared to 60-70 percent of rural areas. Access to broadband at home is a necessity when all education is remote. Reliable access at home (often referred to as adoption or subscription rates) varies across Southeast Michigan. Students who do not have this are dependent on community anchor institutions such as libraries, coffee shops, or even college and school parking lots. Each of these options has different challenges and during the COVID-19 crisis, they are largely inaccessible.
New SEMCOG Data on Broadband Access
SEMCOG has developed a set of maps showing access to broadband and different levels of internet service, in addition to access to computer devices for each individual community in Southeast Michigan. They show that 80.5 percent of households in Southeast Michigan have broadband, another 4.4 percent have slower internet services, and 362,000 households do not have broadband. Nearly 90 percent of households have a computer device, but more than 411,000 households do not.
Broadband adoption in Southeast Michigan varies from 78 percent in Oakland County to 62 percent in Wayne County, where more than 20 percent have no internet at all. In parts of St. Clair County, cellular service is the only source of broadband. Adoption rates are influenced by affordability of service, cost of devices, and knowledge or perceived need.
Source: Connected Nation: Michigan
Moving Forward: The Future is Here
The COVID-19 crisis has raised awareness of the critical role of broadband for just about every aspect of life. Students are most impacted by the absence of internet and devices in a fully online education landscape. As school districts and administrators prepare for the fall semester, there is increasing evidence that remote learning will continue at least part of the time. For this reason, it is imperative that policymakers work with federal, state, and local governments, education, and the private sector to prioritize broadband access for every child. The Connected Futures Initiative is an example of a public-private partnership that provided 50,000 students from Detroit Public Schools Community District with a laptop with free internet. These types of initiatives need to be replicated across the state to reach other students, as well as seniors, rural residents, and households with limited resources, so they can fully participate in an increasingly technology-based society.
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