Courtesy Image This most recent map from the Presque Isle Electric and Gas Co-op shows the company’s internet coverage boundaries. The green shows where PIE&G is actively taking applications, while the yellow shows where the company is in construction.

PRESQUE ISLE — More than 4,400 customers in Northeast Michigan now have access to fiber internet and phone services through the Presque Isle Electric and Gas Co-op.

Last year, that number was 1,000.

PIE&G started constructing its fiber division in 2021, after the coronavirus pandemic created a rising demand for high-speed internet.

Tom Sobeck, CEO of the company, said he is proud of the progress his firm has made over the last year.

“We’ve done a lot of work, and it’s worthwhile, but it’s really, really hard,” he said. “It’s game-changing for a lot of the folks we’ve hooked up. They didn’t realize how much flexibility they’d have now in their work and personal lives.”

A News investigation earlier this year found about a third of the homes and businesses across Alpena, Presque Isle, Montmorency, and Alcona counties still lack access to modern internet speeds, according to the Michigan High-Speed Internet Office.

Currently, PIE&G is 90% through its phase two construction, which covers Cheboygan, Hammond Bay, Hagensville, Hawks, and Millersburg. Sobeck said the areas are expected to have internet and phone services available by October.

Sobeck said building a fiber network from the ground up has been difficult but rewarding. While he said the company is behind schedule on their build timeline, they are 43% through in just two years.

“Obviously, you start a project and you set out a timeline knowing things are gonna run up in your way and slow you down,” he said. “I certainly appreciate everybody’s patience as we move through it, and they’ve all been great to work with.”

Sobeck said the company has started prepping for their phase three build, which encompasses Alpena, Avalon, Grand Lake, Hillman, and Posen. He said the company is starting earlier because it must dig into the underground bedrock and limestone to install the fiber.

Interested residents can learn more about the co-op’s construction timeline and when internet will reach their area on the company’s website, piegconnect.com.

This story was produced by the Michigan News Group Internship Program, a collaboration between WCMU Public Media and local newspapers in central and northern Michigan. The program’s mission is to train the next generation of journalists and combat the rise of rural news deserts.