LANSING, Mich. (WZMQ) – The broadband provider Highline has big plans to expand high-speed internet across Marquette County this summer. Highline has brought its service to just under 20,000 Michigan residents since 2021.
Highline is gearing up to install 1,400 miles of fiber optic cables across the Upper Peninsula, bringing high-speed internet to 14,000 more residents.
Highline was awarded $187 million from the FCC’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) back in 2021 to bring high-speed internet to over 48,000 homes, 42,000 of which are in Michigan’s upper peninsula. Four years into their six-year project, they’ve reached 40% of their goal with plans to reach 60% by focusing on Marquette County and the eastern U.P. over the summer, bringing internet with speeds 10 times faster than existing connections.
Bruce Moore, Highline’s COO, said they are contracted to run fiber through 14 of the 15 U.P. counties, with an aggressive plan to meet their deadlines even with the U.P.’s short window for construction.
All of these efforts come with support from the state as they hope to boost the population and economy of the U.P. A proper broadband connection is a critical part of economic growth and engagement.
“People choose to live rurally just because that’s where they choose to live; it should not mean they don’t have the same internet connectivity as the bigger cities in the Upper Peninsula or the homes downstate,” Moore said. “When they subscribe to Highline, we take them from a very frustrating internet connection to the best available in the United States.”
There is even more funding for broadband on the way; Michigan has recieved $1.6 billion from the federal BEAD program. Companies like Highline are currently applying for a portion of that grant to continue to expand Internet access across rural Michigan.
