BRANCH COUNTY — County commissioners will support three companies applying for portions of the $245 million Michigan Broadband Equity Access and Deployment grants to provide unserved areas with high-speed fiber internet throughout Branch County.
Frontier Communications will compete with DMCI of Reading and Surf Internet of Elkhart, Ind., to add areas left out of the original federal program awarded to Frontier, which just started construction.
DMCI Broadband
Owner Dave Cleveland told commissioners on March 11 that in transitioning from wireless, the company built 140 miles of fiber optic cable in Hillsdale and Branch Counties, currently servicing around 2,600 residents.
DMCI will construct an additional 9 miles in Branch County in April, targeting 83 new locations.
Cleveland said the BEAD program is crucial for funding future DMCI expansions. The company will invest $3 million in a proposed 62-mile fiber expansion and an additional $1.1 million for 23 miles in Butler Township.
DMCI's overall project would approach $25 million. It plans to offer affordable high-speed internet gigabit services at $67 per month and 100 megabits per second services at $28 per month for low-income qualifying customers.
The Midwest fiber-to-home operator offers service to 140,000 customers across Indiana, Michigan, and Illinois.
Surf Business Development Director Steve Carender told commissioners Thursday that the company's BEAD grant application would extend St. Joseph and Calhoun counties' service to the townships of Sherwood, Union, and Matteson.
The proposed project aims to provide an all-fiber solution to 1,100 addresses, including 451 homes identified as BEAD eligible, including Commissioner Tim Stoll's.
Frontier Communications Senior Vice President for Business Development Allison Ellis declined to identify BEAD grant application service areas, but said they are seeking funds to cover areas of Sherwood, Bulter, and Quincy not covered by its current grant.
In December 2022, Branch County awarded Frontier $1 million from its American Rescue Plan Act funds as part of its application for the federal Realizing Opportunity with Broadband Infrastructure Networks grant, called the ROBIN grant.
Frontier received the $22.3 million federal grant to serve 4,690 locations in the county, which will match an additional $14.5 million in company investment.
During its presentations to the county commissioners in 2022, Frontier said the company expected to have service available by Spring 2025. Frontier must complete construction by September 2024.