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Washington, D.C.- Congressman Dale E. Kildee (D-MI) announced today that Air Advantage in Frankenmuth, Michigan has been awarded a $433,708 broadband community grant to provide rural residents with access to the Internet. The Rural Utilities Service Office, a division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, awarded the grant to Air Advantage to enable rural residents to join the global digital community. In July 2003, Kildee contacted the Rural Utilities Service Office to express his support for Air Advantage’s grant application.
“This funding will help bridge the digital divide by providing broadband services to rural communities and families in the Thumb area of Michigan,” said Kildee. “We must continue to work together to ensure that every resident in rural America has access to the Internet. The benefits of the information superhighway will help improve the lives of rural residents by providing them with immediate access to business, education and health services.”
Air Advantage will primarily use this grant to expand their wireless broadband network to all of Tuscola, Huron and Sanilac counties. This funding will allow rural residents to access essential and emergency services via the Internet. The grant will also help provide for a community center with at least ten computers connected to the Internet with unlimited broadband access. Air Advantage was the only company in Michigan to receive money under the USDA’s Community Connect Broadband Grant Program. |
