CASSOPOLIS, Mich. — Midwest Energy & Communications (MEC) announces that in the first six months of 2025, it finished construction of 710 miles of new fiber internet infrastructure in rural areas near Adrian, Ann Arbor, Baroda, Bloomingdale, Buchanan, Decatur, Dowagiac, Eaton Rapids, Eau Claire, Lawton, Marcellus, Niles, Onondaga, Rives Junction, Three Oaks, and Watervliet. This project has brought a new high-speed option to more than 10,000 residences and businesses that previously lacked access to reliable broadband internet.
For years, rural southern Michigan residents have suffered from a digital divide that has prevented them from being able to take advantage of modern communications technology. For individuals, that often means traveling to another location to work and learn remotely. For businesses, it means not being able to compete in the marketplace.
As a local electric cooperative that has been headquartered in the region for nearly 90 years, MEC shares in the frustration of this divide and actively seeks to eliminate it. Since the beginning of its internet rollout in 2015, MEC has brought a high-speed fiber service option to more than 76,000 residences and businesses. In 2025, it will build to an additional 21,000 addresses.
“The broadband needs of the rural space have largely been ignored, with many people being promised solutions that never arrive. As rural residents ourselves, we understand this and are dedicated to ensuring our neighbors and communities have the internet service they need to thrive in today’s world,” says Terry Rubenthaler, MEC president and CEO.
MEC offers three packages: 100 Mbps for $65.00/mo., 1 Gbps for $100.00/mo., and 5 Gbps for $200.00/mo. All plans include unlimited data, Wi-Fi with industry-leading router, advanced parental controls, and protection from malware, all at no additional cost. Interested individuals can check their address for eligibility at teammidwest.com/internet.
MEC will announce completed construction areas for the second half of 2025 in January.
About Midwest Energy & Communications
Midwest Energy & Communications is a customer-owned electric cooperative founded in 1937. It provides electricity, propane, and fiber internet solutions to rural customers across southern and west-central Michigan, northern Indiana, and northeast Ohio. The company is expanding internet services in southern Michigan to bring fiber-to-the-premises to an additional 50,000 customers by the end of 2026. To learn more, visit teammidwest.com.
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