CHEBOYGAN COUNTY — Cheboygan County residents and visitors may see improved internet access following a broadband expansion from Spectrum.

Spectrum internet, mobile, TV and voice services are now available for an additional 375 homes and small businesses in Burt, Mullett, Koehler and Tuscarora townships, according to a press release.

The company’s expansion is part of a $5 billion investment in underserved rural communities, partially offset by $1.2 billion from the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund auction from the Federal Communications Commission.

According to the release, the expansion will provide 1.3 million customer locations across 24 states with improved connectivity.

Another $700 million in state subsidies combined with the company’s investments could connect an additional 300,000 homes and small businesses.

“Bringing high-speed connectivity to Northern Michigan families remains a top priority for me,” U.S. Representative Jack Bergman said in the release. “Thanks to the partnership between Charter and the FCC, high-speed Internet is arriving at more homes and businesses that have not had reliable connectivity. This is another great step in the right direction for those who call Northern Michigan home.”

Residential and small business customers will have access to internet connections up to 1 Gbps with starting speeds of 300 Mbps. The company is also in the process of updating its network to offer multiple gigabit download speeds.

The expansion of Spectrum’s services is not limited to internet access, with Spectrum Mobile and Spectrum TV now available in the newly-served areas.

Residents and business owners interested in these services should visit the Spectrum rural expansion website to learn more about the services’ availability.

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Sharen Lange, the Cheboygan County Economic Development Coordinator, told the Cheboygan Daily Tribune the expansion is important for the community to provide better internet access for education, tele-health and the workforce.

She also highlighted the potential impact on the quality of internet connection during peak times when the county welcomes an influx of summer visitors.

“Cheboygan County sees almost double in our summer population and visitors,” Lange said. “So during those peak times, it actually draws upon the internet or the broadband that’s accessible, so it lessens everyone’s ability to capture quality connection. In rural communities, having internet and having quality internet are two different things these days.”

The goal of these recent expansion efforts is to provide not just better internet access, but also quality service that can meet the demands of both peak times and day-to-day needs.

— This story was created by reporter Karly Graham, kgraham@petoskeynews.com, with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Spectrum broadband expanding to Burt, Mullett, Koehler, Tuscarora