ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – Thursday afternoon, an internet provider held a ribbon cutting at its first retail location in the Upper Peninsula.
Highline celebrated its grand opening on Ludington Street with the community and fellow businesses.
Highline provides its customers with fiber internet. Highline Midwest CEO Bruce Moore says his goal is to offset the lack of high-speed internet in rural parts of Delta County.
Moore believes Highline will boost the local economy and help with population retention and growth.
“People will move to the Upper Peninsula; it’s a great place, as everybody knows,” he said. “The only thing that would hold somebody back is lack of internet connectivity. When fiber is in place, it’s an opportunity for people to live rurally, yet enjoy high-speed internet access.”
Community relations manager Bethany Leiter says Highline is excited to join Downtown Escanaba.
“We are a company that loves to give back to our communities,” she said. “We like to do a lot of sponsorships and events that are community-oriented. We live here, we are part of the community, so it’s really exciting that we are downtown representing the rural residents.”
According to Moore, Highline plans to expand its network to Dickinson, Menominee, Iron, Gogebic, Chippewa, and Mackinac Counties this year.
To learn more about Highline, visit the retail location at 1300 Ludington Street or the company’s official website.