Mich. man expanding his fiber optic internet to 600-plus homes with $2.6M in COVID recovery cash

A Michigan man who built his own fiber optic internet service provider rather than shell out money to Comcast is expanding his network with federal COVID relief aid.

Jared Mauch originally built his ISP, Washtenaw Fiber Properties, as an alternative to paying $50,000 to Comcast to expand the cable service to his house, or relying on dial-up from AT&T.

While Mr. Mauch started with more than 30 homes including his own, he expanded to 70, and is now slated to add nearly 600 new households.

Washtenaw Fiber Properties is receiving $2.6 million from the American Rescue Plan to expand internet coverage in rural Michigan, where Mr. Mauch lives.

Washtenaw County received $71 million in COVID recovery aid, and decided to issue a request for proposal (RFP) to use some of that money to expand network coverage in underserved areas.

“They had this gap-filling RFP, and in my own wild stupidity or brilliance, I’m not sure which yet, I bid on the whole project [in my area] and managed to win through that competitive bidding process,” Mr. Mauch told Ars Technica.

Mr. Mauch’s network will add 38 miles of fiber optic cable to the 14 miles that have already been laid.

A total of 596 homes will be passed by the cable, even though the contract between Mr. Mauch and the county only obligated him to service 417 new houses.

“I’m building past some addresses that are covered by other [grant] programs, but I’ll very likely be the first mover in building in those areas,” Mr. Mauch explained to Ars Technica.

Washtenaw County officials were excited about the broadband expansion when Mr. Mauch’s company hooked up a household in Lima, Michigan in late June.

“After years of hard work by commissioners, county staff, and the members of the Broadband Task Force, it is extremely exciting to reach this important milestone,” Shannon Beeman, commissioner for Washtenaw County District 3, said in a county press release.