AllBand Communications gets $12.7 million for Rural High-Speed Internet

Funds from the Biden-Harris infrastructure funds will connect high-speed internet to homes, companies and farms Northeastern Michigan

AllBand Communications received $12.7 million in federal funds from the Biden-Harris infrastructure law to build a high-spend internet network in four rural counties in northeast Michigan. This network will provide high-speed internet to 891 people, 55 businesses and 60 farms in Alcona, Iosco, Montmorency and Oscoda counties. 

The funds were awarded to AllBand Communications Cooperative through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s ReConnect program. AllBand contributed $4.2 million to complete the project.

“(T)he internet is no longer a luxury,” said Mitch Landrieu, the White House’s coordinator for the infrastructure law.

“It’s just as important as roads, water and sewer to help a community thrive and that’s what we’re trying to do, is invest into our rural communities to make sure they can be competitive, especially in a 21st century global economy,” said Brandon Fewins, Director for the state of Michigan at the United States Department of Agriculture. “This will also help those mom and pop businesses to be competitive in the global market.”

Reliable, high-speed internet in the area will allow residents to access services like telehealth and remote learning, said Landrieu. It also offers farmers the opportunity to practice precision farming, the science of improving crop yields and assisting management decisions using advanced technology and analysis tools. These tools and technology rely on large amounts of data and require access to high-speed internet.

Fewins noted that the availability of high-speed internet could also attract new businesses to the area.

More than 30% of Oscoda County residents do not have access to high-speed internet. Nearly 25% of Alcona County and Montmorency county residents and 17% of Iosco County residents are currently without internet access. 

To qualify for ReConnect funding, applicants must serve a rural area that lacks access to high-speed internet. Recipients must commit to building facilities capable of providing high-speed internet services to every location in the proposed service area. The program also offers discounted rates to qualifying low-income households and tribal communities.