USDA Invests $22.5 Million in High-Speed Broadband for Rural Michigan

The US Department of Agriculture is investing $22.5 million for two recipients in Michigan to provide broadband service in unserved and underserved rural areas. These investments are part of USDA’s round one investments made through the ReConnect Pilot Program. The awards include an $11.8 million loan/grant combination to Barry County Services Company to provide affordable, fiber-based broadband services in rural Barry County. This project will extend broadband availability to 17 farms, 16 businesses and 12,000 residents spread over 127 square miles. Southwest Michigan Communications Inc. is receiving a $10.7 million loan/grant combination to deploy Fiber-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband service to Van Buren and Allegan counties. This project will extend broadband availability to 22 farms, 19 businesses and 7,700 residents spread over 100 square miles. The two projects will bring modern broadband service to nearly 20,000 residents.