LANSING, MI (WHTC-AM/FM) – The Michigan High Speed Internet Office is being created, but not everybody in the state capitol is crowing about it.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced on Wednesday (June 2, 2021) an Executive Directive that would set up the agency that “will be dedicated to coordinating and advancing the State’s efforts to ensure that every home and business in our state has access to an affordable, reliable high-speed connection that meets their needs and the skills to use it effectively,” according to a statement from the Governor’s office.
This comes after two similar broadband expansion bills that were passed by the Legislature were vetoed by the Chief Executive, the most recent coming three weeks ago when she said no to Lawton Republican Aric Nesbitt’s SB 0046.
“The Governor is claiming that her office is doing enough to solve the lack of reliable internet service that plagues so many communities across the state, and that the legislation isn’t needed,” he said on “WHTC Talk of the Town” last month. “If that were the case, I wouldn’t be consistently hearing from constituents about the need for more actions on increasing access to broadband.”
In vetoing Nesbitt’s legislation, Whitmer claimed that the bill would focus more on tax breaks for companies looking to expand in rural communities when tribal governments and other minorities are struggling to get broadband connectivity.
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