Washtenaw hires project manager for broadband to every home project
DCS Technology Design helped to create this map of Washtenaw County showing the broadband survey results of the 15 townships. They've recently been selected to manage the project to bring Broadband Internet to all unserved areas by 2025 and for Washtenaw County to be the first in the state to serve 100% of their residents and businesses with access to true high speed Broadband Internet.
In September 2021, the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners approved an investment of $15 million in County general funds and American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars to address issues of broadband connectivity in Washtenaw County with the goal to connect every household in Washtenaw to highspeed broadband internet. The already-present need for access was exacerbated during the Covid-19 pandemic as the acute need for telemedicine, virtual school and remote work was made apparent.
Manchester area commissioner Shannon Beeman stated, “We know that the need for reliable internet access exists in areas of every township within the county. The team here understands how important this work is to our residents. They are moving ahead to make our goal of a completely connected Washtenaw a reality.”
Since the approval, the county administration and staff have been working through the steps to operationalize the broadband allocation. In late 2021, the request for proposals process was completed and Washtenaw County contracted with DCS Technology Design located in Chelsea for Project Manager services. The DCS team began working with county staff and the Broadband Taskforce to get up to speed and plot out the next steps. DCS are no strangers to the project as they carried out the study beginning in 2020 that was used to create the map of served/unserved parcels of land across Washtenaw county.
Contract negotiations for service providers are on-going.
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