In early 2020, the Washtenaw County Broadband Task Force collaborated with Merit Network on a citizen-scientist broadband data collection. Prior to the initiative, data provided by the Federal Communications Commission indicated that only 1.8% of households in the county outside urban centers lacked access to high-speed Internet. However the grass-roots data collection found that a surprising 64% in these areas do not have access to fixed broadband at the FCC threshold of 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload.
Armed with solid data, the Task Force proceeded to support submissions for federal programs and sought quotes for building the infrastructure necessary to offer broadband to every residence in the county. The Task Force developed a proposal to close the digital divide which was approved by the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners on September 15, 2021. The $14.6 million project will be predominantly funded by American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars.
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