Everyone in Michigan can benefit from affordable, reliable high-speed internet service, but more than 30% of Michiganders either don’t have access to, can’t afford or are missing the skills and technology needed for an internet connection.
We’re getting ready to change that.
Michigan was awarded $1.55 billion from the federal government to expand high-speed internet service and achieve digital equity. Every region and every community in our state has unique needs when it comes to getting everyone connected. We created our Digital Equity Plan to address the unique needs of all communities.
In 2023, the Michigan High-Speed Internet Office (MIHI) launched the statewide listening tour, MI Connected Future, across Michigan’s ten multi-county prosperity regions. These events were designed to collect feedback from residents and key stakeholders on local broadband and digital equity needs.
MIHI hosted 43 in-person community meetings in each region of the state. Each meeting invited residents and local leaders to discuss their unique challenges and priorities for equitable, affordable and reliable high-speed internet service. A total of 949 Michiganders participated in the meetings and a survey was used to collect feedback from residents regarding their biggest broadband barriers and their priorities for addressing digital equity. The feedback collected from the 823 completed surveys was used to inform the draft BEAD Five-Year Action Plan and the Digital Equity Plan.
MIHI hosted a series of monthly virtual roundtable meetings in 2023 to gather input from key stakeholders across Michigan including representatives from community organizations, tribal nations, local governments and internet service providers. View the recordings and feedback materials below.
For residents who were unable to attend the in-person community meetings, MIHI created a Community Meeting in a Box (CMIB) to help communities to conduct their own meetings. Each CMIB included presentation slides, data collection tools and a guide to facilitate discussions with residents on their broadband needs. The CMIBs enabled 45 additional communities and groups to participate in the listening tour. The feedback collected from the CMIBs was used to inform the Digital Equity Plan and Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Plan.
The Michigan High-Speed Internet Office (MIHI) traveled all over Michigan to hear from residents about the barriers keeping them from the internet. Read the Digital Equity Plan for more information on the MI Connected Future Tour, and view the following success videos, podcasts and articles.
In 2023, the Michigan High-Speed Internet Office (MIHI) launched 40-stop broadband listening tour dubbed the "MI Connected Future Tour." In part one of Connected Nation's video coverage, we talked with officials about what they hoped to learn.
In 2023, the Michigan High-Speed Internet Office (MIHI) launched 40-stop broadband listening tour dubbed the "MI Connected Future Tour." For part two of Connected Nation's video coverage of this ambitious tour, we spoke with local stakeholders about the challenges they face.
Connected Nation goes on the road in the Great Lakes State for the Michigan Connected Future Tour. The 40-stop listening tour was conducted by the Michigan High-Speed Internet Office (MIHI). The video shows how state officials plan to use input gathered from the tour the actions local leaders are taking and how it will all come together to likely make Michigan one of the most connected states in the nation.
Have a question about MI Connected Future? Contact us by emailing LEO-MIHighSpeedInternet@michigan.gov.
