70,000 Unserved Michigan Homes, Businesses to Connect to High-Speed Internet Through $203 Million in First Round of Grant Awards

Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) and the Michigan High-Speed Internet Office (MIHI) announced $203 million has been awarded in the first round of the Realizing Opportunity with Broadband Infrastructure Networks (ROBIN) grant program to connect over 70,000 unserved Michigan homes and businesses to high-speed internet. In total, the ROBIN, program will provide $238 million in federal funding to support the deployment of high-speed internet to more than 90,000 unserved locations throughout the state thanks to the US Department of Treasury’s Capital Projects Fund investment. MIHI received 154 grant applications from 40 applicants for the ROBIN program. Nearly $2.3 billion in project costs were proposed requesting $1.3 billion in grant funds. After reviewing and scoring each application, 24 projects from 11 applicants moved forward as ROBIN Initial Grant Recommendations (IGRs). The first round of ROBIN Grants total $203 million in grant funds and are being awarded to 18 total projects from 9 applicants, with a total match investment of $202 million . Collectively, these projects represent a total investment of $405 million and will connect 71,333 locations to fiber-to-the-home service with opportunities for gigabit connections. Grant awards include: