First District Slated for Increased Connectivity Through Federal Rural Digital Opportunity Fund

Washington, December 8, 2020
Washington - The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced that an estimated 388,000 rural Americans living and working in Michigan will gain access to highspeed broadband through the Commission’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Phase I auction, according to auction results released on December 7th.

In Michigan, the auction allocated $362,985,055.60 in support to expand broadband to 249,263 unserved homes and businesses over the next 10 years. Nearly all locations in Michigan that were eligible for the auction will be receiving access to broadband with speeds of at least 100/20 Mbps, with an overwhelming majority (80%) getting gigabit-speed broadband. The auction unleashed robust competition that resulted in more locations being awarded at less cost to Americans who pay into the FCC’s Universal Service Fund.

“The results of the FCC’s auction are an important next step in connecting unserved Northern Michigan and Upper Peninsula constituents and businesses who lack access to highspeed broadband internet. The proposed deployments in our district will total $205,484,001 and serve an estimated 87,503 homes and businesses,” said Rep. Jack Bergman.

“This historic auction is great news for the residents of so many rural Michigan communities, who will get access to high-quality broadband service in areas that for too long have been on the wrong side of the digital divide,” said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. “We structured this innovative and groundbreaking auction to prioritize bids for high-speed, low-latency services to deliver the best results for rural Americans, and the results show that this strategy worked. This auction was the Commission’s single largest step ever taken toward delivering digital opportunity to every American and is another key success in our ongoing commitment to universal service.”

Following is a list of winning bidders, number of homes and businesses to be served, and total support for 10 years in Michigan’s First District, by county:

County

Bidder

Locations

Support

Alcona

CenturyLink, Inc.

306

$1,800,684

Alcona

Mercury Wireless, Inc.

1,350

$979,499

Alcona

Rural Electric Cooperative Consortium

216

$847,698




Alcona, MI Total

1,872

$3,627,881

Alpena

CCO Holdings, LLC

26

$124,976

Alpena

Mercury Wireless, Inc.

79

$23,696

Alpena

Rural Electric Cooperative Consortium

910

$2,026,482




Alpena, MI Total

1,015

$2,175,154

Antrim

Mercury Wireless, Inc.

46

$9,618




Antrim, MI Total

46

$9,618

Baraga

Consortium of AEG and Heron Broadband I

332

$1,602,600




Baraga, MI Total

332

$1,602,600

Benzie

CCO Holdings, LLC

1,335

$1,198,966

Benzie

Cherry Capital Connection, LLC

118

$125,678

Benzie

Mercury Wireless, Inc.

624

$192,173




Benzie, MI Total

2,077

$1,516,817

Charlevoix

Rural Electric Cooperative Consortium

923

$462,237




Charlevoix, MI Total

923

$462,237

Cheboygan

CCO Holdings, LLC

2,184

$185,355

Cheboygan

Cherry Capital Connection, LLC

22

$6,676

Cheboygan

Mercury Wireless, Inc.

217

$10,762

Cheboygan

Rural Electric Cooperative Consortium

3,098

$1,860,901




Cheboygan, MI Total

5,521

$2,063,693

Chippewa

Consortium of AEG and Heron Broadband I

3,072

$10,183,385

Chippewa

Space Exploration Technologies Corp.

1,998

$2,633,895




Chippewa, MI Total

5,070

$12,817,280

Crawford

CCO Holdings, LLC

592

$488,296

Crawford

Mercury Wireless, Inc.

1,554

$820,007

Crawford

Rural Electric Cooperative Consortium

2,518

$3,046,600




Crawford, MI Total

4,664

$4,354,903

Delta

Consortium of AEG and Heron Broadband I

4,499

$18,523,618

Delta

Space Exploration Technologies Corp.

6

$10,976




Delta, MI Total

4,505

$18,534,594

Dickinson

Consortium of AEG and Heron Broadband I

1,817

$7,392,381

Dickinson

Space Exploration Technologies Corp.

13

$13,988




Dickinson, MI Total

1,830

$7,406,369

Emmet

CCO Holdings, LLC

255

$21,636

Emmet

Mercury Wireless, Inc.

413

$26,532

Emmet

Rural Electric Cooperative Consortium

568

$638,003




Emmet, MI Total

1,236

$686,170

Gogebic

Consortium of AEG and Heron Broadband I

2,067

$7,809,305

Gogebic

Space Exploration Technologies Corp.

107

$321,448




Gogebic, MI Total

2,174

$8,130,753

Grand Traverse

CCO Holdings, LLC

99

$256,390

Grand Traverse

Cherry Capital Connection, LLC

369

$530,952

Grand Traverse

Mercury Wireless, Inc.

140

$132,239




Grand Traverse, MI Total

608

$919,581

Houghton

Baraga Telephone Company

164

$444,491

Houghton

Consortium of AEG and Heron Broadband I

1,964

$8,912,686

Houghton

Space Exploration Technologies Corp.

157

$628,350




Houghton, MI Total

2,285

$9,985,527

Iron

Consortium of AEG and Heron Broadband I

6,191

$23,390,135

Iron

Space Exploration Technologies Corp.

15

$7,972




Iron, MI Total

6,206

$23,398,107

Kalkaska

CCO Holdings, LLC

122

$204,786

Kalkaska

Mercury Wireless, Inc.

1,288

$1,032,375




Kalkaska, MI Total

1,410

$1,237,161

Keweenaw

Consortium of AEG and Heron Broadband I

1,643

$7,930,938

Keweenaw

Space Exploration Technologies Corp.

49

$523,320




Keweenaw, MI Total

1,692

$8,454,258

Leelanau

CCO Holdings, LLC

516

$522,105

Leelanau

Cherry Capital Connection, LLC

256

$324,732

Leelanau

Space Exploration Technologies Corp.

32

$128,361




Leelanau, MI Total

804

$975,198

Luce

Consortium of AEG and Heron Broadband I

1,885

$7,345,292

Luce

Mercury Wireless, Inc.

41

$7,430

Luce

Space Exploration Technologies Corp.

49

$12,788




Luce, MI Total

1,975

$7,365,510

Mackinac

Consortium of AEG and Heron Broadband I

5,515

$20,338,962




Mackinac, MI Total

5,515

$20,338,962

Manistee

CCO Holdings, LLC

1,356

$1,650,434

Manistee

Cherry Capital Connection, LLC

24

$36,717

Manistee

Mercury Wireless, Inc.

307

$279,196

Manistee

Point Broadband Fiber Holding, LLC

40

$172,468




Manistee, MI Total

1,727

$2,138,815

Marquette

Consortium of AEG and Heron Broadband I

5,226

$24,826,960

Marquette

Space Exploration Technologies Corp.

377

$585,695




Marquette, MI Total

5,603

$25,412,655

Mason

CCO Holdings, LLC

896

$752,992

Mason

Mercury Wireless, Inc.

141

$68,384




Mason, MI Total

1,037

$821,376

Menominee

Consortium of AEG and Heron Broadband I

3,085

$12,965,896

Menominee

Space Exploration Technologies Corp.

1,230

$1,967,588




Menominee, MI Total

4,315

$14,933,484

Montmorency

CCO Holdings, LLC

1,053

$89,367

Montmorency

Rural Electric Cooperative Consortium

4,529

$2,398,992




Montmorency, MI Total

5,582

$2,488,359

Ontonagon

Consortium of AEG and Heron Broadband I

418

$1,579,240

Ontonagon

Space Exploration Technologies Corp.

45

$160,416




Ontonagon, MI Total

463

$1,739,656

Oscoda

CCO Holdings, LLC

2,905

$1,539,662

Oscoda

Mercury Wireless, Inc.

2,190

$2,846,186

Oscoda

Rural Electric Cooperative Consortium

1,073

$56,623




Oscoda, MI Total

6,168

$4,442,470

Otsego

Mercury Wireless, Inc.

673

$360,463

Otsego

Rural Electric Cooperative Consortium

1,716

$1,410,094




Otsego, MI Total

2,389

$1,770,557

Presque Isle

CCO Holdings, LLC

2

$3,366

Presque Isle

Rural Electric Cooperative Consortium

5,549

$4,339,264




Presque Isle, MI Total

5,551

$4,342,630

Schoolcraft

Consortium of AEG and Heron Broadband I

2,908

$11,331,623




Schoolcraft, MI Total

2,908

$11,331,623

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