OWOSSO — More than 2,000 homes and businesses in unserved or underserved areas of Shiawassee County can now connect to high-speed internet through Spectrum.
The internet provider announced the expansion Monday at a ribbon-cutting event attended by several prominent community members at the Shiawassee Valley Fraternal Order of Police in Owosso, as part of a multiyear rural construction initiative funded through the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund. Fiber-optic network infrastructure has been built to reach 2,100 homes and businesses in the county, with an additional 300 locations expected to be added in the coming months.
Spectrum internet, mobile, TV and voice services are now available in parts of the following townships: Bennington, Caledonia, Fairfield, Hazelton, Middlebury, New Haven, Owosso, Rush, Sciota, Shiawassee, Venice and Vernon.
The expansion offers broadband speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second with no data caps, providing the reliability and performance needed for remote work, online education and more.
Shiawassee Economic Development Partnership President and CEO Justin Horvath said there are many remote workers and entrepreneurs in the county, along with students who need internet access for school, making broadband accessibility essential.
“Having that availability of broadband today is basically like having water, electricity and natural gas,” Horvath said. “It’s not an optional thing anymore — it’s a requirement. Twenty-four hundred is a number that really sticks in my mind here. That’s 2,400 more homes that are either newly served or better served with broadband. It’s so very important because that expands the network and gives us more spots within Shiawassee County to not only be able to support our existing residents and businesses but also to be able to attract new ones as well.”
State Sen. Sam Singh, who represents Michigan’s 28th District, which includes a portion of Shiawassee County, said he’s proud to see the growth in rural communities.
“Over the last two-and-a-half years in this position, we’ve talked a lot about economic development and how we strengthen our business community here in Shiawassee County,” Singh said. “I’m proud of the number of investments that we’ve made over the years. Obviously, broadband is one of the key pillars for anyone — whether it’s a business that is trying to do work, a student who is trying to succeed in their academics, or our seniors who want to access health care. All of those components are critical to have here, so we are pleased from the state perspective to be involved and engaged.”
Leigh Byrd, a media representative from Spectrum told The Argus-Press that the company plans to expand beyond the 2,400 homes and businesses announced Monday.
“We don’t stop there,” Byrd said. “We will still be building in Shiawassee County well into the future.”
Local residents and business owners can visit SpectrumRuralExpansion.com to check if service is available in their area.