State Rep. Jack O’Malley (R-Lake Ann) | Facebook
State Rep. Jack O’Malley (R-Lake Ann) | Facebook
State Rep. Jack O’Malley (R-Lake Ann) has announced his support for legislation intended to help close the “gaps in broadband service” throughout the state.
“We have rural areas and small communities across Northern Michigan within gaps in broadband service and areas that are not able to receive the latest in high-speed internet,” O’Malley said in a press release. “This is a critical concern. It slows progress and makes it more difficult for people to live and work in these areas in today’s technological age.”
The proposed measure to address this concern is House Bill 4266. The bill provides legal protection for Michigan electric cooperatives to expand broadband networks using infrastructure and easements that are already in existence. O’Malley is also a proponent of House Bill 5266, a corresponding measure involving pole attachments.
Through the bills, broadband access would be expanded in the counties of Benzie, Mason, Leelanau and Manistee.
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