State Broadband Capacity Building:

This project will support the Michigan Broadband Task Force and the related work of the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC). The task force will engage and unify a diverse group of broadband stakeholders and align disparate programmatic efforts across state government. The Broadband Task Force’s overall mission includes strategic planning aspects, and the historical leadership of the PSC ensures its long-term impact.

Technical Assistance:

Connect Michigan will conduct state and county-level research to identify and track the barriers to broadband access and adoption. The results and conclusions of these surveys will be submitted to peer review and will be available for use by all stakeholders in the state.

Local Regional Technology Planning Teams:

Utilizing the strong relationships fostered by the MPSC and the more recent connections formed by the Connect Michigan mapping program, volunteer community leaders from sectors in each of the 10 economic development regions will be assembled to lead regional technology planning teams. Each of the planning teams will utilize broadband maps, research, and their own knowledge of the region’s unique needs to articulate a set of priorities which will most dramatically impact broadband and technology availability and adoption in their region. The program manager will support the team through identification of potential technical assistance resources.

Data Collection, Integration, and Validation:

This project was originally funded for broadband planning activities and two years of data collection. In September of 2010, this project was amended to extend data collection activities for an additional three years and to identify and implement best practices.