County keeping township officials informed about broadband opportunities

berriencountyadministration709446
berriencountyadministration709446

A meeting has been held between township supervisors from around Berrien County and Berrien County Commissioners to make sure everyone is on the same page when it comes to applications for broadband funds. County Administrator Brian Dissette told commissioners Thursday that’s as the deadline approaches for internet service providers to apply for state ROBIN grants.

“The county’s doing our very best to answer the questions of the supervisors,” Dissette said. “We’re going to stay actively engaged with the supervisors so there’s zero confusion as to the ROBIN process. We’re doing our best to get all of them access, equal access, to all of the information that the county has.”

Commissioner Teri Freehling said the parties all met on Monday. The ROBIN program was included in the state’s Building Michigan Together Plan, setting aside $250 million to expand high-speed internet. The deadline for internet service providers to apply for ROBIN grants is this month. Freehling says townships may want to offer funding to support applications from ISPs for those grants. The county has also approved a resolution to offer up to $4.5 million in federal ARPA funds as support for internet service providers that seek state ROBIN grants to expand high-speed internet.