Washtenaw Board of Commissioners vote to use ARP funds to achieve broadband access county-wide
This morning, Monday, September 20th, at 8:10 am & 10:10 am, Manchester's County Commissioner Shannon Beeman, along with Ben Fineman, Vice Chair of the County Broadband Task Force, will be on the "The Lucy Ann Lance Show" on 1290 WLBY & streaming at 1290WLBY.com to talk about Washtenaw County bringing 100% high speed broadband internet access to every home, thanks to funding from the American Rescue Plan.
Two weeks ago, we reported that the County had passed a funding proposal through its Ways and Means Committee that would pledge $14.6 million of American Rescue Plan funds toward building broadband infrastructure to every residence, regardless of address. At their meeting last Wednesday, September 15, the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners approved the proposal that, when coupled with recent broadband grant awards, will fund the closing of the digital divide in the entirety of the county and achieve 100% high speed broadband internet access to every home.
“This is a huge win for every resident of Washtenaw County," states Barbara Fuller, Chair of the Washtenaw County Broadband Task Force. "The Board of Commissioners tasked us with achieving countywide broadband equity more than 5 years ago, and here we are! I’m grateful for their collective leadership and willingness to acknowledge that access to reliable high speed broadband internet service is a necessity, and then provide the funding to help those who would have otherwise been left behind. All Washtenaw County residents will soon have the ability to virtually learn, stay in touch with family, benefit from tele-medicine and tele-banking, and so much more. This is truly life-changing, for so many.”
Shannon Beeman, Manchester’s County Commissioner and member of the Broadband Task Force states, “Allocating $14.6 million of our $72 million American Rescue Funds was a big ask; we had some difficult conversations, but maintained open lines of communication, which got us to where we are today.”
Vice Chair of the Broadband Task Force and Lyndon Township resident Ben Fineman summarizes the feelings of the group by stating, “As Lyndon Township has just recently completed its broadband construction, I can attest to how much it improves the quality of life, for everyone. I am grateful for the commitment from each of the members of the Broadband Task Force, their work to gather the information our County Commissioners used to make this historic decision required immense commitment to finding a solution. Funding digital accessibility is the right thing to do as it will provide countless opportunities for those who have been denied access for far too long.”
The Broadband Task Force will now engage with ISP providers to develop a construction/implementation schedule that meets the requirements of the American Rescue Plan Act and update their webpage (https://www.washtenaw.org/2867/Broadband-Task-Force) as information is available and timelines are identified.
Long term goals of the Commissioners include ensuring financial factors do not prohibit access to high speed internet as well as digital literacy and educational opportunities for those who may be new to navigating the internet.
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