Technology gap continues to close in Armada Township – Macomb Daily
It might not be happening in high-speed fashion, but the number of residents and businesses with access to state-of-the-art broadband services in rural areas of Macomb County has been growing.
This is due in a large part to the State of Michigan’s Connecting Michigan Communities (CMIC) Grant Program, which enabled Comcast to complete a 114-mile infrastructure build that will bring fast, reliable internet service to more than 1,100 total accounts in Armada Township.
“The folks that signed up for it can’t wait to get off the satellite services that they’ve been on,” said Armada Township Supervisor John Paterek. “COVID has created a huge challenge for our residents.”
Be it parents trying to navigate online classes for their children or employees struggling with poor services while trying to work from home.
“It’s been really hard for folks in the township who didn’t have high-speed internet,” Paterek said, noting the cost of acquiring such services for the community is not something they can just withdraw from the budget, which makes the grant program even more valuable.
“I think the state is on the right track in creating these grant opportunities,” Paterek said. “We are incredibly grateful that Comcast made such an effort to apply for and secure this grant on our behalf to expand internet (services) into the northeast and southwest areas of the township. We are very fortunate to have them working so closely with us.”
State Sen. Dan Lauwers (R-Almont), chairman of the Senate Energy and Technology Committee, said the grant program is designed to extend these services to unserved communities throughout Michigan.
“We want to give all residents and businesses access to a reliable network that is capable of the same high level of performance and security as what’s available in larger, more urban and suburban areas,” Lauwers said. “Comcast’s expansion to Armada Township is a great example of how this program works.”
Comcast will be installing up to 1.2 Gigabits-per-second (Gbps) internet service to more than 1,100 total households. Residential customers in this area will be able to take advantage of Xfinity’s full suite of internet products. These include Internet Essentials, which brings broadband into the home for low-income families for $9.95 per month plus tax; speeds up to 1.2 Gbps; advanced WiFi technology capable of delivering speeds faster than a Gig to support the ever-increasing number of connected devices in their homes; xFi, a digital dashboard to control their home WiFi network that includes Advanced Security protecting every device on the network from malware and security threats; and Flex, a free 4K platform for internet-only customers that seamlessly delivers their streaming content.
The expanded network will also reach businesses in Armada Township.
Comcast Business offers a suite of connectivity, communications, networking, cybersecurity, wireless, and managed solutions to help organizations of different sizes prepare for what’s next. Powered by the nation’s largest Gig-speed broadband network, and backed by 24/7 customer support, Comcast Business is the nation’s largest cable provider to small and mid-size businesses.
Comcast’s Xfinity Gigabit Internet service is delivered using the company’s existing network architecture and the connections that are already in most customers’ homes. In the last three-years, the company has invested more than $850 million in technology and infrastructure in Michigan, including upgrades to its broadband network.
There are still pockets of Armada Township that lack high-speed internet and they are likely to be on hold as Comcast works to help other communities in the county. However, Paterek is confident the gap in technology will soon be closed.
“This will put us steps closer into bringing the township up to the standards and requirements that the world requires with technology today for all our residents,” Paterek said. “We also have an internet subcommittee keeping a pulse of what’s available and we will continue to look for other grant opportunities to try and get the township finished off.”
Gloss