Northern Michigan Counties Association Meeting Summary March 2025
Meeting Monday March 17, 2025
Roscommon County Board Room
Commissioners representing 16 counties attended; another was on Zoom, which did not work well.
Discussion Summary:
Discussion was dominated by fiber broadband, as the guest speaker was Marilyn Passmore, Director of Government Affairs at Charter Communications. As you may recall, Spectrum is one of several ISPs applying for BEAD grant funding to service the southwestern townships of Leelanau County. She reported:
Many internet service providers (ISPs) are bidding for BEAD money—a program she does not anticipate will be curtailed due to federal budget cuts. In fact, there may be more funding coming, as another $120 billion was allocated for fiber internet that has yet to be appropriated.
The fiber lines Spectrum is laying are “open,” meaning other internet companies may use them. This competition helps keep prices low.
Of the counties represented, Leelanau had allocated the most funding for internet service—about $5.4 million, including consulting fees. Benzie County, whose website states it is spending $1.5 million of county funds on its program, was not represented. Many counties had not directly allocated any public funds. One other county had allocated more than $1 million, hiring a Traverse City firm with $1.2 million to lead and construct its broadband project.
BEAD funding requires a low-rate option. Spectrum Internet Assist qualifies by providing service to low-income households at a monthly cost of $15.
The standard hook-up fee is $40 to $50. Marilyn did not know the exact amount.
The end goal of the BEAD program is to achieve universal coverage. However, confusion and the stop-and-go nature of several previous internet grant programs have delayed progress.
State Update:
State Rep. Tom Kunse of Clare reported that the State House is prioritizing funding for local roads in the 2026 state budget. He did not have many kind words for Lansing politics.
Materials Management Concerns:
The only other item of significance came under commissioner discussion. Several commissioners expressed concern about the Materials Management program initiated by the state and regulated through EGLE.
Quotes I noted:
“You’ll be glad you went on your own as a county because the multi-county organizations have become a mess.”
“This is pretty much a bureaucratic nightmare.”
The program was originally designed to be funded by a large increase in “tipping fees” for garbage—from 36 cents to $5. However, the fee increase has been delayed. Concern was also expressed that while the original plan was to reimburse jurisdictions upfront, this has changed to a pay-as-you-go system.
Most members were planning to attend the state convention next month, in April.
— Report provided by Leelanau County Commissioner Alan Campbell and distributed at the
County Board meeting of 3/18/2025
Side Note: FCC Internet Availability Update
I received a news email relaying FCC information about internet availability in urban vs. rural areas. Specifically for Michigan and other states, it stated:
Michigan ranks 48th in fiber availability, with only 26%. However, the gap between rural and urban coverage is negligible—26.4% urban vs. 25.1% rural.
Nos. 1 and 2 for fiber availability are Rhode Island (80.2%) and—surprisingly—Nebraska (68.5%). Nebraska, however, has the fifth-largest gap between urban (78.0%) and rural (49.9%) connectivity. New York State has the largest gap overall.
Only 16 states have been allocated more than $1 billion in BEAD funding, including Michigan.
In fact, Michigan is set to receive $1.6 billion in BEAD monies. The only states receiving more are Texas ($3.3 billion), California ($2.9 billion), and Missouri ($1.7 billion).
