LANSING, Mich. — Two dozen broadband builds funded by the federal BEAD program are now under contract in Michigan, after the state labor and economic opportunity department reported Monday that 23 subgrantees have signed their grant agreements.
Together the projects carry a price tag of about $1.447 billion. Federal BEAD dollars cover $916 million, and the providers themselves are putting up $531 million in matching money. The state expects the work to reach close to 200,000 locations, a count that includes homes, businesses and community anchor institutions such as libraries and schools.
A signed contract does not mean crews are digging yet. The next step for each provider is pre-construction work, including permits, before building can begin. Once an agreement is executed, a subgrantee has four years to finish its project, and the Michigan High-Speed Internet Office said five more provisionally selected providers should sign soon.
The group signing on mixes big national phone and cable carriers, regional internet companies and rural electric cooperatives, and several of them already run service in thinly populated parts of the state.
Eligible locations have been identified in all 83 Michigan counties, with most of the unserved and underserved addresses concentrated in rural areas. The internet office lists August 2026 as the start of the BEAD construction period and expects the main deployment to run through 2030.
Not every address will get a wired line. The federal plan for Michigan sets aside 24,638 locations for satellite service, a choice made where running fiber would cost too much.
LEO Director Susan Corbin said in the announcement that dependable high-speed service lets students finish homework, parents work remotely, small businesses find customers and families reach health care from home. Residents can check the state broadband map and program updates at Michigan.gov/WhereIsMyInternet.
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