123NET, the Southfield-based fiber internet, colocation and voice provider, has been awarded approximately $86 million through the federal Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program to bring high-speed internet to underserved corners of Michigan. The money will fund the construction of 1,700 miles of new fiber network stretching across 12 counties, with the first shovels expected to hit the ground in early 2027.
The BEAD-funded work will deliver connectivity to 17,000 newly funded addresses, according to a 123NET announcement, and contribute to a broader network expansion that the company says will ultimately reach 49,300 addresses. The projects will span Allegan, Barry, Calhoun, Eaton, Jackson, Kent, Kalamazoo, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, Ottawa and Washtenaw counties, touching a wide swath of southern and western Michigan. As reported by DBusiness Magazine, the BEAD program is administered jointly by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and Michigan's High-Speed Internet Office, with the stated aim of ensuring all Americans have access to affordable, reliable broadband.
123NET says it worked with municipalities and community partners across the state to pursue the funding, and the company has emphasized that it owns and operates its entire network rather than leasing infrastructure from other carriers. Ken Fitzpatrick, CEO of 123NET, said the company is working across public and private sectors to address the inequities fueling the digital divide, per DBusiness. Fitzpatrick added that the BEAD funding will create sustainable infrastructure for digital services and what he called world-class connectivity in Michigan.
A Statewide Build-Out With Billions on the Line
Michigan has the nation's third-highest number of BEAD-eligible locations, the company's announcement notes, and state officials expect the program to ultimately connect nearly 200,000 homes, businesses and institutions. The state has signed BEAD agreements with 23 companies in total, according to MLive, allowing those providers to begin pre-construction work such as permitting and site preparation ahead of actual builds.
The total price tag of Michigan's BEAD push depends on which account you read. 123NET's announcement states that Michigan received $920 million in federal BEAD funding, paired with $550 million in private-sector matching funds, for a total investment of $1.5 billion. MLive, however, reports the agreements combine $916 million in federal funding with $531 million in private investment for a $1.447 billion initiative. The discrepancy between the two figures is not explained in either account.
Statewide deployment faces real headwinds regardless of the final price tag. Achieving what 123NET calls internet-for-all in Michigan requires overcoming high deployment costs, complex permitting processes and telecommunications workforce shortages, the company's announcement states. Chuck Irvin, chief technology and information officer at 123NET, said fiber expansion helps underserved communities and supports small businesses and students.
Building on a Finished Allegan County Project
123NET isn't starting from scratch. The company completed construction on its Allegan County broadband expansion in August, a project that delivered roughly 1,100 miles of high-speed fiber and enabled service to around 17,000 addresses, according to 123NET. That $65 million effort launched in 2022 after Allegan County selected 123NET to design and build the network, and it was funded through a mix of federal, state, county and private money, including Michigan's ROBIN program and county American Rescue Plan Act funds.
The company is also still working in Ottawa County, where it's building 325 miles of new network to reach more than 5,000 residents. As of the August announcement, that project was over 25% complete and expected to wrap by the end of 2026, though the new BEAD-funded work represents a separate, larger phase of construction set to begin in early 2027.
123NET is one of 23 confirmed Michigan BEAD awardees, a list that according to Light Reading also includes Baraga Telephone Company, Frontier North, Great Lakes Energy, Spectrum and Michigan Bell Telephone Company, among others. Eric Frederick, Michigan's chief connectivity officer, said the state's high-speed internet office is excited to expand broadband access and aims to help every Michigander use technology to improve quality of life, DBusiness reported.
For residents in the counties slated for new construction, 123NET has said they can sign up for service-availability notifications as the projects move forward. With early 2027 construction starts on the horizon, the real test will be whether Michigan's patchwork of federal, state and private funding can actually deliver fiber to the thousands of addresses still waiting for it.
