Dingell’s office gets involved in ongoing broadband hold-up in Bridgewater Township

by Sara Swanson

In September 2021, the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners voted to become one of the first counties in the state to create a path for every household to access high-speed broadband internet. Now, in the start of 2026, Manchester, Freedom, and Sharon Townships are completely connected, but only about 1/3 of Bridgewater homes are connected. In fact Bridgewater Township is the last township in the county that is still waiting. Not only that, no work occurred in Bridgewater in 2025 and no one can get ahold of Mercury Broadband LLC, the company responsible for installing broadband in Bridgewater.

Chris Scharrer, owner of DCS technology, oversaw the broadband project for County. Sharrer explained that unlike in the areas the county funded, most of the Bridgewater Township area was awarded Rural Digital Opportunity Funding (RDOF), which is administered by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). He stated, “It is a federal program and unlike the County’s ARPA GAP project, the county has no control over any RDOF activities. We have little recourse with RDOF projects other than through our U.S. representatives to press the FCC and the internet service providers that are not performing.”

And Manchester area’s U.S. Representative, Debbie Dingell, is getting involved. On January 14, she sent a letter to Chief Executive Officer of Mercury. Dingell’s office is currently attempting to get a status update on broadband deployment in Bridgewater Township; an explanation for why no construction activity occurred in the township during 2025; contact information of a Mercury representative whom she, Washtenaw County, and local officials may contact to receive regular updates regarding deployment progress; Mercury’s anticipated timeline for completing broadband deployment in Bridgewater Township; and to set up a meeting.

Scharrer explained that it is also not as simple as using alternative funding to bring in a different company to finish the project in Bridgewater. He stated, “Since it is a federally funded project that is still ongoing, it is not allowable to use other government funding to build these areas. Technically, Mercury has an obligation to have all RDOF commitments completed 100% by the end of 2027.”

Setting aside Mercury’s original estimate of Bridgewater being fully connected by the end of 2024, Mercury is not currently on target to meet the RDOF’s 2027 deadline in Bridgewater Township and the rest of the areas they are responsible for in Michigan. Scharrer stated, “They have already defaulted on much of their obligations and recently notified the FCC that they are still behind on those obligations they chose to keep (like Bridgewater).” He added that like with Bridgewater, Mercury is not communicating with the other areas where they still have obligations and those other areas are pursuing similar actions.

Scharrer noted that Mercury was not the only company to be awarded RDOF funding in Washtenaw and that Midwest Energy & Communications was awarded RDOF funding reaching across about nine Washtenaw County townships, which they have completed along with the additional ARPA GAP locations awarded to them by the county.

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by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and a founder of the Manchester Mirror.