Point Broadband Progress Update
Point Broadband’s primary focus continues to be the construction of a new fiber optic network to deliver high-speed internet to previously unserved properties in the County.
As of this update, Point Broadband’s network is available for 1,804 addresses, 840 of which were identified by the county as unserved. It is anticipated that by the end of October, the network buildout will be completed in the geography south of M-204 (E. Duck Lake Road), west of Lake Leelanau and north of M-72 (E. Traverse Highway), encompassing portions of Elmwood, Solon, Centerville, Kasson, and Leland townships. At that time the company will have completed approximately one-third of the project and brought service to more than one-third of the previously unserved property owners.
The map shown above delineates where service is currently available and the geography where orders are being taken and connections established. Residents can place orders for service online prior to activation and will be contacted by Point to schedule installation as soon as it is ready. The map and more detail about speeds and pricing may be found on Point Broadband’s Leelanau project page.
Point Broadband shared its initial pricing tiers at a Leelanau Board of Commissioners meeting Sept. 19.
$79 per month for 1 gigabit (1,000 Mbps) download and 1 gigabit upload speed.
$69 per month for 500 Mbps download and 500 Mbps upload speed.
$59 per month for 300 Mbps download and 300 Mbps upload speed.
Note: Those prices reflect a $10 per month discount for auto-pay deduction for billing. All three price tiers are eligible for a 3-year rate lock. Also, all three tiers are eligible for a $30 monthly credit to eligible households under the federal Affordable Connectivity Program.
There is no hookup fee and no cost for a connection to a property that is less than 1,000 feet from the network line adjacent to the property. A fiber “drop” to a home that exceeds 1,000 feet will incur an expense of $1.25 per additional foot.
Point Broadband currently has twelve crews working in the county and continues to pursue its goal of having a fiber connection established at the Leelanau State Park Lighthouse by December 31, weather permitting.
County communications towers
By the end of October construction will be underway for a new county-owned tower in Leelanau Township. Cherryland Electric Cooperative and Leelanau Township are partnering with the county and making six-figure financial contributions to bring the county’s northern-most tower into service.
The tower vendor, Midway Electronics, has ordered all the materials and will have a construction crew on site in October.
Leelanau County website tracks service availability
Residents are encouraged to visit the Leelanau County website for a detailed broadband map to track service availability to individual properties. The footprint for Charter/Spectrum service in the four western townships is incorporated on the map as is the network being built by Point Broadband. Internet service availability by location will be updated on the county website as additional construction and service regions expand throughout the year.