MEC to Bring Fiber Internet to Roughly 7,000 Addresses in Rural Southern Michigan
Published
on Tuesday, January 21, 2025
in
Internet
CASSOPOLIS, Mich. — Midwest Energy & Communications (MEC) announces that in the first six months of 2025, it will begin construction of more than 600 miles of new fiber internet infrastructure in rural areas near Adrian, Bloomingdale, Buchanan, Decatur, Dowagiac, Galien, Hartford, Lawrence, Lawton, Marcellus, Mattawan, Niles, Onondaga, Rives Junction, Saline, Sturgis, Three Oaks, and Union. This project will bring a new high-speed option to more than 7,000 residences and businesses that currently lack access to reliable broadband internet.
This project was made possible because of the 2020 Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), as well as the Realizing Opportunity with Broadband Infrastructure Networks (ROBIN) grant program from the state of Michigan. The initiatives are aimed at increasing broadband internet access to unserved and underserved rural communities. MEC will bring its high-speed fiber service to 50,000 residences and businesses in rural southern Michigan by the end of 2026.
"The broadband needs of the rural space have largely been ignored, with many people being promised solutions that never arrive. As rural residents ourselves, we understand this and are dedicated to ensuring our neighbors and communities have the internet service they need to thrive in today's world," says Terry Rubenthaler, MEC president and CEO.
MEC offers three packages: 100 Mbps for $65.00/mo., 1 Gbps for $100.00/mo., and 5 Gbps for $200.00/mo. All plans include unlimited data, Wi-Fi with industry-leading router, advanced parental controls, and protection from malware, all at no additional cost. Interested individuals can check their address for eligibility at teammidwest.com/internet.
MEC will announce new construction areas for the second half of 2025 in June.
About Midwest Energy & Communications
Midwest Energy & Communications is a customer-owned electric cooperative founded in 1937. It provides electricity, propane, and fiber internet solutions to rural customers across southern and west-central Michigan, northern Indiana, and northeast Ohio. The company is expanding internet services in southern Michigan to bring fiber-to-the-premises to an additional 50,000 customers by the end of 2026.