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Dave Ravencraft, systems administrator at Computeracc in Alanson, stands in the Internet service provider¿s server room. Ravencraft said the company has been taking steps to expand broadband Internet service in rural areas using wireless delivery, but notes that limited bases of potential subscribers and challenges in securing land-use approval for transmitter towers can sometimes stand in the way. (Ryan Bentley/News-Review) |
Rolling hills, forested landscapes and light population density are features of rural Northern Michigan that often prove appealing for those who choose to live there.
But when residents in some parts of the region seek out high-speed Internet service, some working in the Internet services industry note that this sort of geography can often limit those consumers’ options.
Northern Michigan’s larger towns have some of the same popularly priced choices for broadband delivery typically available in metropolitan areas, such as digital subscriber line (DSL) and cable service. But equipment limitations often prevent DSL service, which uses telephone lines for signal delivery, from reaching recipients more than 3 to 5 miles from a community’s central telephone switching point. And while Charter Communications, Northern Michigan’s dominant cable television provider, now can deliver high-speed Internet through the vast majority of its cable network, economics can sometimes stand in the way of expanding the lines to areas with few potential paying customers.
“Our construction cost to deliver that broadband powerplant is the same whether it’s passing zero homes or 40 homes,” said Bill Morand, senior communications manager in the Michigan market for Charter Communications.
Hilly and forested terrain can also sometimes stand in the way of receiving high-speed service via wireless signal — one of the promising delivery methods seen for more rural areas. And in areas with sparse populations, the limited base of potential subscribers can make it tough for a provider to justify an investment in new broadband infrastructure, whether wired or wireless.
Public- and private-sector stakeholders have been eyeing several different approaches in hope of extending broadband’s reach.
Service brings advantages
Advocates for broadband Internet availability see the service as important for both economic development and general quality of life.
“Just to be a part of the whole world community, you have to have fast and available broadband ... and reliable, of course, too,” said Jan Kellogg, an economic development specialist with the Boyne City-based Northern Lakes Economic Alliance.
The statewide Connect Michigan initiative, established in 2009, aims to promote not only the availability of broadband service, but also to increase the share of the population that puts it to use.
“Having quality broadband impacts practically every aspect of our lives,” said Eric Frederick, state program manager for Connect Michigan.
Through the years, Frederick noted that it’s become harder for communities to attract economic-development projects such as factories. With this in mind, he noted that high-speed Internet can make it easier for individuals to telecommute — performing work for a potentially faraway employer while living in communities that those employees find desirable. From an educational standpoint, broadband also can offer advantages for students needing to perform online research.
Dave Ravencraft, systems administrator for Alanson-based Internet service provider Computeracc, said consumers increasingly have been showing interest in online offerings that demand high-speed service — viewing movies via subscription “streaming” services, for example.
“We’re actually seeing our Internet consumption go up even in areas where our client count doesn’t increase,” he said.
Sizing up the needs
As part of its efforts to expand broadband’s reach, Connect Michigan has taken steps to map the availability of high-speed Internet services statewide and by county.
Through this process, northern lower Michigan and the Upper Peninsula have been identified as the areas in the state where a lack of broadband options tends to be most pronounced, Frederick said. He added that costs present a challenge for equipping these largely rural regions.
One series of Connect Michigan maps shows areas which have one or more of several common broadband service options — including cable, digital subscriber line (DSL), fiber optic cable (available to homes only in a few scattered areas of the state), wireless service for fixed locations and mobile wireless broadband — available, and those that do not. A sizable swath of northwestern Emmet County — including areas around Good Hart and Cross Village — is identified as an unserved area. A few scattered areas of Charlevoix County — including Beaver Island and pockets of some of the county’s sparsely populated eastern townships — are not reached by typical broadband services.
At Computeracc, systems administrator Ravencraft said the company has increasingly been focusing on wireless signals as a way to deliver broadband to rural customers.
But when residents in some parts of the region seek out high-speed Internet service, some working in the Internet services industry note that this sort of geography can often limit those consumers’ options.
Northern Michigan’s larger towns have some of the same popularly priced choices for broadband delivery typically available in metropolitan areas, such as digital subscriber line (DSL) and cable service. But equipment limitations often prevent DSL service, which uses telephone lines for signal delivery, from reaching recipients more than 3 to 5 miles from a community’s central telephone switching point. And while Charter Communications, Northern Michigan’s dominant cable television provider, now can deliver high-speed Internet through the vast majority of its cable network, economics can sometimes stand in the way of expanding the lines to areas with few potential paying customers.
“Our construction cost to deliver that broadband powerplant is the same whether it’s passing zero homes or 40 homes,” said Bill Morand, senior communications manager in the Michigan market for Charter Communications.
Hilly and forested terrain can also sometimes stand in the way of receiving high-speed service via wireless signal — one of the promising delivery methods seen for more rural areas. And in areas with sparse populations, the limited base of potential subscribers can make it tough for a provider to justify an investment in new broadband infrastructure, whether wired or wireless.
Public- and private-sector stakeholders have been eyeing several different approaches in hope of extending broadband’s reach.
Service brings advantages
Advocates for broadband Internet availability see the service as important for both economic development and general quality of life.
“Just to be a part of the whole world community, you have to have fast and available broadband ... and reliable, of course, too,” said Jan Kellogg, an economic development specialist with the Boyne City-based Northern Lakes Economic Alliance.
The statewide Connect Michigan initiative, established in 2009, aims to promote not only the availability of broadband service, but also to increase the share of the population that puts it to use.
“Having quality broadband impacts practically every aspect of our lives,” said Eric Frederick, state program manager for Connect Michigan.
Through the years, Frederick noted that it’s become harder for communities to attract economic-development projects such as factories. With this in mind, he noted that high-speed Internet can make it easier for individuals to telecommute — performing work for a potentially faraway employer while living in communities that those employees find desirable. From an educational standpoint, broadband also can offer advantages for students needing to perform online research.
Dave Ravencraft, systems administrator for Alanson-based Internet service provider Computeracc, said consumers increasingly have been showing interest in online offerings that demand high-speed service — viewing movies via subscription “streaming” services, for example.
“We’re actually seeing our Internet consumption go up even in areas where our client count doesn’t increase,” he said.
Sizing up the needs
As part of its efforts to expand broadband’s reach, Connect Michigan has taken steps to map the availability of high-speed Internet services statewide and by county.
Through this process, northern lower Michigan and the Upper Peninsula have been identified as the areas in the state where a lack of broadband options tends to be most pronounced, Frederick said. He added that costs present a challenge for equipping these largely rural regions.
One series of Connect Michigan maps shows areas which have one or more of several common broadband service options — including cable, digital subscriber line (DSL), fiber optic cable (available to homes only in a few scattered areas of the state), wireless service for fixed locations and mobile wireless broadband — available, and those that do not. A sizable swath of northwestern Emmet County — including areas around Good Hart and Cross Village — is identified as an unserved area. A few scattered areas of Charlevoix County — including Beaver Island and pockets of some of the county’s sparsely populated eastern townships — are not reached by typical broadband services.
At Computeracc, systems administrator Ravencraft said the company has increasingly been focusing on wireless signals as a way to deliver broadband to rural customers.
