Rural Michiganders Suffering From Lack Of Broadband Access, Report Finds

Rural Michigan communities are seeing reduced educational and occupational prospects as a result of a lack of broadband access, according to a February report released by the Michigan Office of Rural Prosperity. 

The Michigan Roadmap to Rural Prosperity, a 71-page report commissioned by the office, outlined a number of strategies to combat the difficulties rural Michiganders lacking broadband face.

The report found that lack of high-speed internet is an impediment to improving life prospects for rural Michiganders. 

The office conducted a listening tour in 58 counties and garnered 2,489 responses from a statewide survey and found that lack of high-speed internet is an impediment to improving life prospects for rural Michiganders. 

The lack of high-speed internet access negatively impacts rural Michigan communities’ ability to access a quality education, according to the report. Schools in rural communities are less likely to possess broadband internet access, reducing students educational opportunities and causing lower grades. Rural students without internet access experienced lower college attendance rates and were less likely to major in STEM fields, per the report. Moreover, limited high-speed internet access creates obstacles for rural students pursuing online degree programs, according to the report. 

Rural residents suffer from lower average incomes due to lack of broadband access, according to the report. These findings align with a study by the Federal Communications Commission, which found that broadband expansion into rural areas can create 10 jobs per 100 residents and boost incomes by 6 percent. Moreover, disabled Michiganders living in rural areas are especially disadvantaged in the workforce without access to broadband due to often lacking transportation for job interviews. 

Rural Michiganders’ health may be impacted by lack of broadband access, per the report. Since residents of sparsely-populated areas tend to utilize telehealth options as a result of living greater distances from healthcare providers than their urban counterparts. A 2019 report from Annals of Internal Medicine revealed that decreased broadband access in rural areas correlated with limited telehealth utilization. 

Rural areas across the nation are scrambling to preserve broadband access for their residents in the wake of the Affordable Connectivity Act expiring in February. Internet service providers have been apprehensive about expanding in rural areas due to increased investment costs. 

Michigan received roughly $1.6 billion in subsidies from the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program. The state hopes that BEAD will help incentivize private companies to build into rural areas they previously shied away from due to cost.