Lee Township, Michigan, February 5, 2025 – 123NET and Lee Township in Allegan County have entered into an agreement to construct an additional 15 miles of fiber to bring high-performance internet access to approximately 600 additional unserved or underserved homes as part of the Allegan County-Wide Broadband Project.
Allegan’s current $65 Million County-wide Broadband Project includes building approximately 1,100 miles of high-capacity fiber to help alleviate the large deficits of reliable internet access on the West side of the state. Pullman, a rural town in Lee Township, is now being added to the project, with the township and county each contributing roughly $450,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to support incremental costs.
“Leveraging our ARPA funds enabled us to included Pullman in 123NET’s broadband infrastructure development project across Allegan County,” said Lee Township’s Supervisor Rich Rawson. “Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) and USDA Reconnect grants have been awarded to vendors for areas north and south in Lee Township, but the Pullman area remains unserved and unfunded. With 123NET already active in the region, this partnership brings this essential service to our residents.”
Construction on 123NET’s open-access, carrier-neutral fiber network in Allegan County began in 2023, and as of December 2024, over 50% of the initial project has been completed. The full Allegan County project is expected to be completed by the end of 2025, with Lee Township expecting construction to start in August. 123NET is using both internal and local resources for the project, including West Michigan contractors and multiple in-house construction crews.
“Lee Township is embarking on its largest infrastructure investment to date. They have heard the concern from residents over the past several years that access to reliable and affordable internet is critical and still unavailable,” said Chuck Irvin, Chief Revenue Officer at 123NET. “The addition of Lee Township and Pullman to the project further advances that goal. At 123NET, we’re always pleased to provide state-of-the-art internet access to more Michigan businesses and residents. It’s more than just infrastructure—it’s about empowering communities and individuals with the tools for success in an increasingly digital world.”
The Allegan County-Wide Broadband Project is being supported, in whole or in part, by federal award number CPFFN0190 awarded to The State of Michigan by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Allegan County ARPA Funds, and 123NET Capital Investment. This additional piece of the broadband project is funded by both Lee Township and Allegan County ARPA Funds.
Residents of Lee Township and in Allegan County can pre-signup or check availability for service at 123.net/Allegan-county/.
ABOUT 123NET
123NET is a Michigan-based Internet Service Provider (ISP) focused on equipping businesses with an industry-leading data center, network, and voice services. Over a dozen Fortune 500 companies and thousands of Michigan businesses trust 123NET to provide world-class connectivity. Home of the Detroit Internet Exchange (DET-iX) and the Grand Rapids Internet Exchange (GR-iX), 123NET operates one of the largest carrier-neutral data centers and peers with technology leaders such as Google, AWS, GM and others.
OUR MISSION:
BUILDING NETWORK TO MAKE MICHIGAN COMMUNITIES AND BUSINESSES THE BEST CONNECTED ON THE PLANET.
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