On July 29, 2021, Next Century Cities submitted a letter supporting a proposal from St. James Township and Peaine Township to bring fiber-to-the-home service to residents of Beaver Island, Michigan. 

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is administering $288 million in grant funding for broadband infrastructure partnerships made available through the Consolidated Appropriations Act. If awarded NTIA funding, the proposed partnership could revolutionize connectivity on Beaver Island and in other municipalities struggling with broadband connectivity. 

Beaver Island is the most remote inhabited island on the Great Lakes. That remoteness means high costs for those building broadband infrastructure on the Island. Currently, residents rely on DSL and satellite service, which are expensive and offer lower-quality and less reliability than fully fiber connections. 

Nationwide, residents in remote areas often face slow Internet speeds, spotty connections, and high prices. With the shift toward online work, learning, healthcare, and more, residents in remote areas like Beaver Island and others need consistent, affordable, high-quality service available at home in order to fully participate in society. 

Through a partnership with Great Lakes Energy cooperative, if awarded NTIA funding, at least 90% of Beaver Island’s 550 year-round residents and 3,000 seasonal residents could have access to more affordable, high-speed, reliable Internet service for the first time. With the influx of federal relief funding supporting broadband projects, communities like St. James and Peaine Townships are filling persistent and pervasive service gaps where they are most needed. 

Next Century Cities is working to ensure that communities of all sizes and geographies in the U.S. have the support they need to actualize their connectivity plans through engagement at the local, state, and federal level. By empowering local officials to develop their own connectivity solutions, we will make meaningful strides toward addressing the digital divide.

Read NCC’s letter of support here.

Additional Resources: 

• NCC Provides Keynote Remarks at Merit Broadband Summit and Highlights Opportunities to Expand Broadband Connectivity in Michigan
• Connecting Michiganders Through the Michigan Moonshot Project
• Navigating Public-Private Partnerships
• BroadbandUSA: An introduction to effective public-private partnerships for broadband investments
• Power Through Broadband Partnerships Across Virginia
• Pursuing Private Partnerships in Tulsa, Oklahoma
• City offices, private sector partners, educational institutions, and local nonprofits are coming together to tackle the digital divide in Texas’ state capitol.