Detroit — Slow internet speeds, which can hinder everything from access to education to health care, continue to be an issue in several Metro Detroit communities, with nine falling below proposed federal standards for high-speed internet access in 2023, according to a Detroit News analysis.
The communities are primarily located in the northern portions of Oakland and Macomb counties. Experts said in a world that increasingly relies on the internet, slower speeds heighten the digital divide, affecting access to job opportunities, learning and more.
The looming expiration of a federal program that provides internet subsidies for low-income households threatens to expand the digital divide.
The Federal Communications Commission previously set the national fixed broadband speed benchmark in 2015 at 25 megabits per second for downloads and 3 megabits per second for uploads (25/3). Late last year, the commission proposed an updated benchmark of 100/20 because the needs of internet users surpassed the older, slower standard during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Under the newer benchmarks, it would take at most 80 seconds to download 1 gigabyte of data, four times faster than the previous standard. A standard-definition movie is typically 1-2 gigabytes to download.
The digital divide in Michigan and across the United States has never been bigger, said Roger Blake, president and CEO of Merit Network, an Ann Arbor-based nonprofit internet service provider.
“Students shouldn’t have to leave their house to do their homework, and … nobody should have to leave their house for a telehealth visit,” Blake said.
Experts pointed to a number of factors for slow internet speeds, or why some don’t have broadband, or high-speed, internet. That includes the cost of internet access and infrastructure issues. Some customers make the conscious decision to scale back their internet based on cost, the analysts said. There is also less of an economic incentive for providers to install broadband in areas that are less densely populated.
But a nearly $1.6 billion infusion of federal funding is headed to Michigan to improve and expand the state’s internet infrastructure.
The funds come from the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program, which internet service providers and other entities can start applying for later this year. To prepare, local efforts are already underway to determine which areas of Metro Detroit lack high-quality internet.
Another federal program that provides discounts to low-income households may run out of money next month if it isn’t renewed.
The Affordable Connectivity Program was expanded under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law of 2021. It provides a monthly $30 discount on internet service to eligible, low-income households. Roughly 1 million households in Michigan rely on the ACP, according to the state’s Chief Connectivity Officer Eric Frederick.
“Without it, BEAD is going to struggle, period,” Frederick said. “It’s not going to be pleasant without ACP.”
Several local internet service providers, including Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Xfinity and Spectrum, already offer eligible households discounted internet plans and will continue offering them or other temporary contingency plans if the program loses funding, company officials said.
AT&T spokesman Phil Hayes urged the government to act on a more permanent solution to help people now enrolled in the ACP.
“If they fail to do so, we’re committed to providing options to help our customers adjust and have a variety of flexible plans,” Hayes said. “We also look forward to examining Michigan’s final BEAD plan after it undergoes NTIA’s (National Telecommunications and Information Administration) review process and hope that it encourages broad and cost-effective participation.”
Basic internet plan prices across all five providers range from $35 to $79.99 a month, depending on factors such as mobile service plans and promotional rates for new customers.
What the analysis showed
The News’ analysis, which included fixed Ookla internet speed tests in Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties in 2023, showed that all 118 communities with more than 50 tests had a weighted average download speed that met the new proposed FCC standard, but nine did not meet the threshold for upload speed.
The nine communities include Richmond Township, the city of Richmond and Memphis in northern Macomb County and Addison Township, Brandon Charter Township, Rose Township, Oxford Charter Township, Holly Township and Springfield Charter Township in northern Oakland County.
The populations range from 1,084 in Memphis, which also borders St. Clair County, to 22,419 in Oxford.
A lack of internet access is a strong predictor of a lack of digital skills, said Keith Hampton, a professor at Michigan State University’s Department of Media Information. In today’s world where everything from health care to work is online, the digital divide is felt most strongly by senior citizens, veterans, prison inmates and people with disabilities, he said.
A lack of high-quality internet access and digital skills can affect everything from a child’s grades to an interest in post-secondary education, Hampton said.
The city of Detroit is taking its own steps to boost internet access to residents and their digital skills.
Earlier this year, the city opened eight technology centers aimed at closing the digital divide for 200,000 residents who struggle with having an internet connection. The tech “hubs” offer free Wi-Fi, loaner devices, training and more. The city eventually plans to open more than 30.
Marilyn Winfrey, 81, attends a free weekly digital skills class at one of the new hubs at the Adams Butzel Complex.
“In order for seniors to survive in this new world of technology, we need to step outside the box and learn some new things,” Winfrey said. “As seniors, we are sometimes a little afraid to venture out, but in order to survive, we’re going to have to.”
Winfrey is president of the Northwest Community Block Club association in the neighborhood she’s lived in for 50 years. She brought five of her friends, all over the age of 68, to a recent class in the hopes they can help out with the club.
Why internet speeds don’t keep up
Affordability is one reason some lack higher-speed internet, but so is the lack of internet infrastructure.
Typically companies that provide internet services won’t build out infrastructure to places where they aren’t likely to see subscriptions and a substantial return on investment, said Chris Greene Hutchings, a program manager with the Merit Network.
“When you have lots of homes densely packed, that’s good from the network provider perspective because that means there are lots of customers in a confined area,” said John Horrigan, a senior fellow at the Benton Institute for Broadband and Society. “When you get out into less densely populated rural areas, the economics don’t look so good.”
The nine Metro Detroit communities with lower upload speeds were in more rural areas of Oakland and Macomb counties. Some, like Addison, Rose and Richmond townships, have populations well below 10,000 people. The southern Macomb city of Eastpointe, by comparison, has nearly 10 times as many people as Richmond and the average upload speed in 2023 was nearly 10 times higher.
Brandon Charter Township is 34.9 square miles in area, according to the community’s master plan, almost seven times larger than the southern Oakland County city of Oak Park. With nearly double the population of Brandon, upload speeds in Oak Park were seven times faster than Brandon, on average, in 2023.
The new BEAD funding is designed to help offset the high cost of building new infrastructure for internet service providers in these areas.
What internet providers say
Xfinity, the largest fixed internet service provider in Metro Detroit by total residential locations, provides the same internet speeds, plans, products and services across all three counties, including both rural areas and larger cities, spokeswoman Samantha VanHoef said.
The company, which is owned by Comcast, has already started working with Macomb County to increase access and affordability in northern places like Richmond, Armada, and Romeo, and Washington, Bruce and Ray townships, said VanHoef, who noted the company has spent more than $855 million on its infrastructure over the last three years.
“We continue to provide communities in Michigan with the latest technology, including fiber and all of the advantages that fiber can bring in a way that benefits everyone — not just in the most affluent neighborhoods,” she said.
Different technologies
Since Michigan’s allotment of BEAD funding is so high, the state will focus heavily on fiber investments, said Frederick, Michigan’s chief connectivity officer.
Fiber optic internet refers to a data connection transferred as beams of light through non-metallic cables. Fiber cables, while expensive to deploy, are significantly faster than traditional electrical cables but are just one technology used to deliver internet.
In Metro Detroit, Xfinity, AT&T and Spectrum all use fiber technology for the internet. They also use other wireline technologies, including cable, in Xfinity and Spectrum’s cases, and digital subscriber lines, for AT&T, according to Connected Nation Michigan, a partner of the Michigan Public Service Commission.
Other providers like Verizon and T-Mobile offer home internet through fixed wireless technology. Fixed wireless works like other broadband services, but instead of connecting through a cable in your home, it connects wirelessly through a modem, T-Mobile spokeswoman Lyssa Hansen said.
Sometimes, certain building types are better suited to one internet delivery method. A lot of Detroit’s older homes and buildings were not built to support internet infrastructure and require serious rewiring, said Christine Burkette, the city’s digital equity and inclusion director. Homes in southwest Detroit are largely made from cinderblock, one of the worst materials for wireless signals to pass through, she said.
Federal funds, improving internet access
Michigan’s allocation of nearly $1.6 billion in BEAD funding, the fourth highest in the nation, is “a once-in-a-generation opportunity,” Frederick said. About 10% of the state does not meet the proposed federal standard for high-speed internet access, he added.
Those locations are mostly in the more rural parts of the state, Frederick said.
The first stage of the BEAD program is what’s called the challenge process, which opened Monday and can run for 120 days, Frederick said. The goal is to identify homes and businesses that don’t have a high-speed internet connection and are eligible for grants.
“The challenge process is incredibly important because it’s how we’re going to get to the final list and map of locations that are eligible to be connected with that BEAD funding,” Frederick said.
Local units of government, nonprofit organizations and internet service providers can participate in the challenge process by collecting evidence from individual households to fact-check the FCC’s existing National Broadband data, Frederick said.
Several local governments have already started collecting information. Detroiters have the chance to test internet speeds in their homes here. The data will be used to help update the FCC map and can help residents address connectivity issues directly with their ISP provider, Detroit’s Burkette said.
“Our goal right now is to look at specific areas that are not performing at the recommended speed,” Burkette said.
The city also intends to apply for BEAD funding once it identifies underserved areas, Burkette said. They have already met with local internet service providers who are open to submitting an application in partnership, she added.
Frederick hopes to open the BEAD grant application process in August or September. The selection process can run for one year and the state plans to run two rounds, if necessary, to allocate all the money.
Accessibility comes down to affordability
Metro Detroit generally sees high download speeds but slow upload speeds based on Merit’s speed test data, Hutchings said. A lack of fiber infrastructure, more subscribers than infrastructure was built to handle, and aging infrastructure can all contribute to slow upload speeds, she said.
But Metro Detroit’s internet infrastructure, while better than that in upstate Michigan, isn’t “better than anywhere else” in other metro areas across the country, Blake added.
Some communities may not have had recent upgrades or have older internet technology, such as cable modems, instead of fiber, Blake said. But many are in a strong position in terms of having multiple high-quality broadband providers available, although there’s still an affordability problem, he added.
While every home in Detroit has the exterior infrastructure to connect to the internet, accessibility comes down to affordability, Detroit’s Burkette agreed.
Over three-fourths of respondents to a recent FCC survey of ACP recipients said they would have to change plans or lose internet service if they didn’t get the $30 monthly credit. The survey also found that the two most common uses of ACP internet were schoolwork and health care.
Oakland, Wayne and Macomb counties were given funding last summer by the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments to assess the service, accessibility and affordability of broadband in partnership with the Merit Network. The tri-county initiative surveyed roughly 6,000 households across Metro Detroit, along with an internet speed test, Macomb County Project Manager John Culcasi said.
In Macomb, the survey confirmed that the northern portion of the county lacks infrastructure while the more central and southern areas reported more problems with affordability, he said.
“Those areas are where we actually saw some of the highest speed results,” Culcasi said. “But what we saw was in the survey responses that many people had to make the conscious decision to either scale back or unsubscribe from their service because of cost.”
It’s becoming more apparent that the internet has become like a utility, Culcasi said.
“Regardless of where you live,” he said, “if you don’t have access, or if it’s not affordable access … it’s an equity problem.”
Tyler Fields is your internet guru, delving into the latest trends, developments, and issues shaping the online world. With a focus on internet culture, cybersecurity, and emerging technologies, Tyler keeps readers informed about the dynamic landscape of the internet and its impact on our digital lives.
