Sponsored by: McLaren Port Huron

High Speed internet is not just a casual subject for Michiganders anymore. Former Governor Rick Snyder visited St. Clair County last year to address initiatives at the state level affecting rural areas like some found in our area and now Governor Gretchen Whitmer has announced the opening of applications for the Connecting Michigan Communities (CMIC) grant program to increase broadband in underserved areas of Michigan. Some of our more rural areas in Michigan and certainly in St. Clair and Sanilac county have limited access to high-speed internet. Governor Gretchen Whitmer said, “Access to high-speed internet is a must to compete in today’s society,” The Department of Technology, Management, and Budget is now accepting applications for the CMIC grant program. It is offering $20 million in grants to internet service providers that are willing to expand access in underserved parts of the state. Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist said “Information is opportunity, and in order to make Michigan a center for innovation, imagination, and entrepreneurship, everyone in our state needs and deserves the ability to participate in the global economy that is only accessible with high-speed internet. This grant will help close the gap that some Michiganders experience today.”