CASSOPOLIS, Mich. — Midwest Energy & Communications (MEC) announces that it has started construction of more than 300 miles of new fiber internet infrastructure as part of its continued efforts to expand high-speed broadband to rural southern Michigan residents. At various times throughout the first six months of 2026, construction will take place exclusively in rural areas near Benton Harbor, Britton, Carleton, Coloma, Constantine, Covert, Hartford, Maybee, Milan, and Schoolcraft. This project will bring a new high-speed option to 3,000 residences and businesses that currently lack access to reliable broadband internet.
In the final six months of 2025, MEC also finished construction to more than 7,600 rural addresses in nine southern Michigan counties: Berrien, Cass, Ingham, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Lenawee, Saint Joseph, Van Buren, and Washtenaw.
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 84,000 residences and businesses throughout unserved and underserved areas of rural southern Michigan.
"In today’s world, a poor internet connection can be isolating for individuals and detrimental for business operations. Rural residents have waited too long for solutions that are frequently promised and rarely delivered. MEC is changing this by building fast fiber internet to our countryside neighbors, helping to ensure vibrant, relevant, sustainable rural communities for decades to come,” says Terry Rubenthaler, MEC president and CEO.
All MEC plans include unlimited data, Wi-Fi with an 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 new construction areas for the second half of 2026 in July.
About Midwest Energy & Communications
Midwest Energy & Communications provides electricity, propane, and fiber internet to over 40,000 consumers in 15 counties across southern Michigan, northern Indiana, and Ohio. To learn more, visit teammidwest.com.
