St. Johns, Mich.- The Clinton County Board of Commissioners selected Frontier as the vendor for a public-private partnership in pursuit of State Realizing Opportunities with Broadband Infrastructure Networks (ROBIN) grant funding.  The County’s Broadband Infrastructure Development Project will provide fiber-to-the-home broadband service to an estimated 4,300 households in unserved and underserved areas in Clinton County.  This partnership leverages Frontier’s plans to independently fund additional fiber expansion in the community. 

“Providing broadband access to residents of the County that have inadequate service, or no access to broadband service in the 21^st century is an identified priority of the County to utilize the available federal American Rescue Plan funding,” said Bob Showers, Chair of the Board of Commissioners.  “The selection of Frontier as the County’s partner for this exciting project brings the vision one step closer to reality,” Showers said.

Based on the competitive proposal submitted by Frontier, broadband services would be expanded in three service areas; Central (including Riley and Olive Townships); East (including Ovid, Victor, and portions of Bath Township) and West (including Lebanon, Essex, Greenbush, Duplain, Dallas, Bengal and portions of Westphalia and Eagle Townships).

“Frontier is committed to ensuring that more Clinton County residents have access to premier-level fiber internet services and is excited to partner with the County.  We recently were the first provider in the nation to launch the availability of 5 Gbps symmetrical service, which we will make available in Clinton County.   By leveraging on expansion plans and combining our private investment with County support, we are confident that our grant proposal will present a very competitive project, increasing our chances of securing funding for the community,” said Allison Ellis, Senior Vice President of Regulatory & Governmental Affairs. “We are proud to partner with Clinton County to enable community members to participate and thrive in a digital society.”

The State of Michigan announced the availability of ROBIN grant opportunities on January 13, 2023, to internet service providers and local units of government entering into public-private partnerships.  Clinton County is now positioned to pursue a grant with its partner, Frontier.

The County’s grant application is expected to include approximately $2.5 million in County Rescue Plan funds and $9 million in investment provided by Frontier, with the balance of the estimated $25.2 million project cost being requested through the ROBIN program.