Washington Township Broadband Townhall
On January 16, 2024, SEMCOG participated in a town hall hosted by Washington Township Supervisor Sam Previti and Macomb County Board of Commissioners Chair Don Brown. The meeting provided an open opportunity for residents to talk about their concerns with internet access in Washington Township, and surrounding townships including Bruce, Armada, Ray, Richmond, and cities and villages like Romeo and New Haven.
Macomb County Board of Commissioners Chair Don Brown (right) discusses Macomb County’s work with some northern townships on getting residents connected. Also pictured are Comcast Government Affairs Manager Jerome Record (center) and Washington Township Supervisor Sam Previti (left).
Commissioner Brown reinforced the work that Macomb County has been leading with local communities and as part of the Tri-County effort to connect all Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne County residents to affordable high-speed internet. This has included work with Merit Network, which developed and distributed the Tri-County Broadband Survey to get a clearer picture of who has or lacks high-speed internet across the area. Supervisor Previti further discussed how Washington Township has worked with neighboring communities to identify needs and prioritize how residents can get online.
Residents learned more about broadband, including speed of service, what technologies would deliver reliable broadband, and opportunities to get affordably connected. I helped provide information on how SEMCOG has data available, informational resources, and technical assistance for broadband funding programs like BEAD.
Also in attendance were representatives from Comcast, who provided detailed information on the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) and Comcast’s subscriber analogue, Internet Essentials. Comcast also provided a table for interested residents to sign up for Internet Essentials, alongside a display of laptops and devices available in the IE kits.
SEMCOG provided resources for attendees, including copies of the SEMCOG/MAC Broadband Framework and the Southeast Michigan Broadband Navigator.
A recording of the meeting can be found on WBRW TV’s website.
Reaching the un- and under-connected
The Michigan High-Speed Internet Office (MIHI) reports that, as of 2023, nearly half a million Michigan households are unserved or underserved by Internet infrastructure, and 730,000 additional households face barriers related to affordability, adoption, device access, and digital literacy. Whether this is due to the lack of physical infrastructure or barriers faced while trying to get internet access, nearly a quarter of all households statewide are potentially lacking the social, educational, and economic opportunities that are attainable with internet access.
These gaps are a major challenge, resulting in areas of homes and businesses, neighborhoods, and sometimes even entire portions of townships, villages, and cities across Michigan lacking online access due to unavailable infrastructure and/or socioeconomic barriers.
Making sure that every household and business have access to affordable high-speed internet, the devices to get online, and the knowledge to use the internet safely and effectively will take a concerted and comprehensive effort. Working together with stakeholders and partners will enable plan development, groundbreakings, buildout of connections, and ensure that internet subscriptions and devices are fast, affordable, and built with a continuum of skills development and tech support.
One of the ways we can effectively collect input and devise a plan to close the digital divide at a local level is through town hall and roundtable-type meetings. These provide an open, thoughtful inroad toward making Internet for All at the state, county, regional, and community levels an attainable reality.
The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is a federal internet discount program that can help reduce the cost of home internet service subscription, as well as for a device that can access the Internet. The normal discount is for up to $30 per month off of your Internet bill, and up to $75 per month on qualifying Tribal lands (also known as the Enhanced Tribal Benefit). In addition, ACP provides a discount of up to $100 toward the purchase of a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet. Eligibility information can be found on the ACP Website. This includes households with incomes at 200% or less of the Federal Poverty Level in addition to households that receive certain government assistance programs.
Additional discount programs are listed below for information only. Individuals should check the links for eligibility and contact the provider for service quality.
- FCC Lifeline Program
- AT&T – Access from AT&T
- Comcast (Xfinity) – Internet Essentials
- Human-I-T
- PCs for People
- Spectrum (Charter) – Spectrum Internet Assist
These programs are only a few of many that may be on offer in your community. Engaging with your residents and other stakeholders-including local ISPs and digital access advocates-will maximize awareness and opportunities to get online. Above all, SEMCOG is here to help guide those discussions and provide resources to ensure every home, business, and institution in your community is connected.
If you have any questions about broadband and digital equity, or would like to know more about how SEMCOG engages in the space, please reach out.
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