Rural and urban Michigan households remain disconnected from the internet

Hundreds of thousands of Michigan households in rural and urban communities don’t have access to high-speed internet. According to federal data, the average percentage of households in the state’s 83 counties without high-speed internet access is 17.5 percent. Around 13.5 percent of those households don’t have smartphones, computers or tablets that can connect to high-speed internet. Scott Stevenson, president of the Michigan Telecommunications Association, said it often comes down to the ability of broadband providers to make a business case for network investments when talking about why some communities, whether large or small, have greater broadband access than others. “If Michigan wants to be a national leader in broadband access, it needs to make sure federal funding flows to networks that serve families and businesses and not to governments,” he said. “Michigan policymakers need to enact laws that make us the least costly state for broadband providers to invest in so our residents have the best possible access.” In more urban areas, the lack of internet access can be attributed to affordability. The population density yields infrastructure buildout, but there is a low rate of subscription due to socioeconomic inequality. In rural areas, there have been affordability issues but also a lack of population density and challenging terrain that could hinder an internet provider’s ability to increase access.