Article Summary –
The US Department of Commerce has approved Michigan’s plan to address broadband internet access and digital skills training deficiencies in the state. The Digital Equity Plan, developed via the state’s Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity’s High-Speed Internet Office, identifies that around 30% of Michigan households lack fast internet access, a figure which rises among low-income and rural households. The plan aims to expand internet service, upgrade network speeds, and provide digital skills education, with the existing digital divide projected to be eradicated by 2030.
Michigan’s Plan to Bridge Digital Divide Gets Green Light from The Department of Commerce
The Department of Commerce revealed that Michigan’s blueprint to bridge the digital divide has been greenlit. As part of the 2022 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Michigan, alongside all US states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, D.C., will receive grants to implement their digital equity strategies.
These initiatives are funded by the Digital Equity Act, responsible for the $2.75 billion allocated to address digital disparities.
Michigan’s Digital Equity Plan was issued in July 2023, highlighting that nearly 30% of the state’s households lack access to fast internet. This issue significantly affects low-income households, racial and ethnic minorities, and older individuals, particularly those residing in rural areas.
The plan includes upgrading existing networks, internet service expansion, and enhancing communities’ digital skillset. Michigan’s High-Speed Internet Office projects that the digital divide can be bridged by 2030.
The urgency for faster internet access was emphasized by a report from the National Skills Coalition, which found that 89% of jobs in Michigan required digital skills.
As per Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II, bridging the skills gap can boost Michiganders’ economic opportunities, enhance workforce readiness, and complement existing efforts to connect homes and businesses to high-speed internet.
In 2023, Michigan secured $1.5 billion from the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment fund, part of the infrastructure law. This fund will finance projects aimed at broadband expansion.
The federal government has also supported the Merit/MOON-Light project, a collaboration between Michigan State University and Merit, through a grant. The project aims to deliver high-speed internet to 17,000 underprivileged households across 74 counties.
Under the Biden administration’s Internet For All initiative, additional grants have been awarded to Native American tribal communities in Michigan for the expansion of internet service, distance learning, and telehealth projects.
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