- Community Resources
- Berrien County Broadband Internet Task Force
Berrien County Broadband Internet Task Force
ROBIN Funding Letter to Communities 2.9.2023 Updated 3.7.2023
ROBIN Funding Presentation 2.9.2023 UPDATED 3.7.2023
Berrien County Resolution Supporting ROBIN 2.23.2023 - SIGNED.
Berrien County Board of Commissioners MM - 2.23.2023 - Approving F2302154 - SIGNED
**PFSA MAP**
***ROBIN GRANT application community SUPPORT DOCUMENTS***
tHE PROCESS TO SUBMIT SUPPORT DOCUMENTATION FOR THE ROBIN GRANT IS NOW CLOSED!
(THANK YOU TO EVERYONE FOR SUBMITTING COMMUNITY SUPPORT DOCUMENTATION!)
*ROBIN*GRANT*APPLICATION*COMMUNITY*SUPPORT*
- Berrien County BOARD of COMMISSIONERS Resolution F2302154 Supporting ROBIN Grant Applications and Community Funding Support Commitment ($4.5M) 2.23.2023 - SIGNED.
- BCBIT - Berrien County Broadband Internet Task Force ROBIN Grant Application LETTER of SUPPORT
- U.S. Congressman Representative BILL HUIZENGA 4th District Michigan ROBIN Grant Support LETTER
- U.S. Congressman Representative TIM WALBERG 5th District Michigan ROBIN Grant Support for ISPs Applying
- Michigan House Representative BRAD PAQUETTE 37th District ROBIN Grant Application Support LETTER
- Michigan House Representative JOEY ANDREWS 38th District ROBIN Grant Application Support LETTER
- Michigan House Representative PAULINE WENDZEL 39th District ROBIN Grant Application Support LETTER
- Michigan State Senator ARIC NESBITT 20th District ROBIN Grant Application Support LETTER
- Michigan State Senator JOHNATHON LINDSEY 17th District ROBIN Grant Application Support LETTER
- Berrien County DRAIN COMMISSIONER Christopher Quattrin ROBIN In-Kind Contribution and Permitting
- Berrien County FARM BUREAU ROBIN Grant Application Support LETTER Agriculture Farms Rural Unserved
- BENTON HARBOR AREA SCHOOLS Broadband Access Support Letter
- Berrien Regional Education Service Agency (RESA) ROBIN Grant Support Equity-Accessibility-Affordability
- BRIDGMAN Public Schools Broadband Access Support LETTER Necessity for Students and Residents
- COREWELL HEALTH (Lakeland Hospital) ROBIN Grant Support LETTER as Anchor Institution Health Equity
- LAKE MICHIGAN COLLEGE President Dr. TREVOR KUBATZKE ROGIN Grant Support LETTER Critical Need
- GALIEN TOWNSHIP FIRE Department ROBIN Support Letter Emergency Services and Reliable Connectivity
- PALISADES POWER PLANT (Holtec International) ROBIN Support LETTER Global Connectivity
- POKAGON BAND of POTAWATOMI Indians ROBIN Grant Support LETTER New Buffalo Township and All Rural
- Southwest MI Regional CHAMBER of COMMERCE ROBIN Support LETTER for MEC Bridging Digital Divide
- SOUTHWESTERN MICHIGAN ASSOCIATION of REALTORS (SWMAR) ROBIN Grant Support LETTER
- SW Michigan Regional CHAMBER of COMMERCE ROBIN Grant Support LETTER for Comcast Application
***ROBIN Grant - Township & Village Support DocumentS***
- BARODA Township ROBIN Grant Support Document Funding Commitment ($197,944)
- BERRIEN Township ROBIN Grant Support LETTER from Community
- BERTRAND Charter Township ROBIN Grant Support LETTER from Community
- BUCHANAN Township ROBIN Grant Support LETTER from Community
- CHIKAMING Township ROBIN Grant Support LETTER and RESOLUTION Local Funding Commitment ($200K)
- GALIEN Township ROBIN Grant Support RESOLUTION Local Funding Commitment ($100K) - $205 Per Parcel
- HAGAR Township ROBIN Grant Support Documentation Local Funding Commitment ($300K) - $650 Per Parcel
- LAKE CHARTER Township ROBIN Grant RESOLUTION Committing ($162,500) and ISPs Support LETTERS
- LINCOLN Charter Township ROBIN Grant Support including Local Funding Commitment ($200K) and Resolution
- NEW BUFFALO Township ROBIN Grant Support Documents and RESOLUTION Funding Commitment ($300K)
- NILES CHARTER Township ROBIN Grant Support through RESOLUTION committing local funds ($73,400)
- PIPESTONE Township ROBIN Grant Support through RESOLUTION committing local funds ($200K)
- SODUS Township ROBIN Grant Funding Support LETTERS and RESOLUTION committing local funds ($5K)
- VILLAGE of GALIEN ROBIN Grant Support RESOLUTION Funding Commitment ($28K) - $87 Per Parcel
- WATERVLIET CHARTER Township ROBIN Grant Support LETTER from Community
- WEESAW Township ROBIN Grant Support RESOLUTION Funding Commitment ($30K) - $41.27 Per Parcel
THANK YOU!!!
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About Berrien County Broadband Internet Task Force - BCBIT.
In April of 2019, the Berrien County Board of Commissioners passed resolution F1904199 which identified reliable, high speed, affordable access to the internet and e-connectivity as being imperative for Berrien County residents, businesses, non-profit organizations and visitors alike, and acknowledged that access to the internet and e-connectivity is a crucial part of the Berrien County mission. As the Board of Commissioners set the operational objectives for 2019-2020, they included a focus on support and improvement of county infrastructure - to include but not be limited to staff and financial resources to be utilized in the pursuit of all options available to bring high speed internet to the unserved and underserved areas of Berrien County. Three commissioners were appointed to a sub-committee - Teri Freehling, Jim Curran, and Ezra Scott and in their work with other agencies aiming for the same goal, the Berrien County Broadband Internet Task Force was formed.
The Board contracted with Merit Network Inc., resolution F2012421, to collect the data needed to move forward with that objective and pushed out a county-wide survey to seek the input needed from as many residents as possible. In February of 2021, that information was sent out in the form of a press release and the survey was made available on the Berrien County website as well as other means of communication. Following the collection of that data, and final report from this survey further mapping and services were needed related to that data. The Board of Commissioners authorized a contract with the Southwest Michigan Planning Commission for the purposes of taking the broadband data that was collected and converting it to GIS Storymap presentation materials.
The work of the Task Force continues.
As funds from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) flow into Berrien County, one of the approved uses of the funds is to invest in broadband in underserved and unserved areas. The federal government guidelines allow Berrien County to sub-grant a portion of their allocated ARPA funds to local entities for the purpose of deploying broadband. in January of 2022, the Berrien County Board of Commissioners approved Resolution B2201191 beginning the application process for those funds. The application inviting local entities to request those sub-granted ARPA funds is now CLOSED.
ARPA Funding Letter to Communities 12.22.2022.
Funding Requests by Community UPDATED 3.7.2023
ROBIN Funding Letter to Communities 2.9.2023 UPDATED 3.7.2023
ROBIN Funding Presentation 2.9.2023 UPDATED 3.7.2023
Berrien County Resolution Supporting ROBIN 2.23.2023
Berrien County BOC 2.23.2023 Meeting Minutes Signed
Agendas & Minutes
To view agendas and minutes, visit the Agenda Center.
Resources
- BCBIT Story Map - Review the timeline of events in the BCBIT project.
- Survey Results Interactive Map - See the results of 2021 community broadband survey.
- Berrien County Broadband Survey Results (PDF)
- BCBIT March 17 2022 Municipality Presentation
- Merit Network - The Michigan Moonshot Broadband Framework - Solving Broadband Access Challenges
- Berrien County BoC Overview - DCS Technology Design (PDF)
- Dashboards and Municipal Broadband Maps
- Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) - See If You Qualify!
- Check out FCC's new National Broadband Map - You can challenge the results!
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BCBIT 2023 Meeting Schedule
February 2, 2023
**February 21 - Special Meeting, 1:30 PM**
March 2, 2023
April 6, 2023
May 4, 2023
June 1, 2023
July 6, 2023
August 3, 2023
September 7, 2023
October 5, 2023
November 2, 2023
December 7, 2023
The 2023 BCBIT meetings are tentatively planned for the 1st Thursday of each month at 12:30 PM in the Otto Grau Conference Room at the Berrien County Administration Center, 701 Main St., St. Joseph, MI. 49085. To join us via Zoom, please contact Berrien County Administrator Brian Dissette at [email protected]