Alcona Community Schools Superintendent Dan O’Connor was right when he told News staff writer Temi Fadayomi that the internet had become “a non-negotiable,” a must-have almost like a utility such as electricity, water, and sewer services.

Everything happens online these days. Banking. Health care. Education. Shopping. It’s hard to think of anything that can’t be done through a website or app and easy to think of plenty of things that have to happen online.

That’s why it’s such a big deal that still about a third of Northeast Michigan homes and businesses lack access to internet with modern speeds, if they have access to internet at all.

In 2024.

Without internet coverage, residents have to travel at least to their local library and perhaps farther to interact with our increasingly digital world.

That can’t be true much longer.

The state has received about $1.6 billion through the federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program that is meant to connect every home and business in the state — that’s 100% coverage — by 2030.

But, like everything else, there’s a catch.

BEAD is a last-dollar program meant to fill in gaps left by other programs designed to install broadband infrastructure in the state. Maps compiled by the Michigan Office of High-Speed Internet shows much of Northeast Michigan should be connected through other programs, with BEAD cleaning up in just the most rural parts of the region.

But some officials told The News they’re worried the companies installing infrastructure under those other programs aren’t keeping their promises. The state’s chief connectivity officer worries some homes and businesses might be left behind because of that.

We can’t let that happen. Our residents don’t just want internet connectivity. Two and a half decades into the 21st century, they need it.

Local governments, nonprofits, and you, dear readers, can help make sure no one gets left behind.

Now through April 23, the Michigan High-Speed Internet Office is accepting challenges to internet service providers’ claims of broadband availability. The Internet Office will use the information collected from the challenges to update its maps of broadband availability and then use those maps to decide where it needs to build new infrastructure.

To participate in the challenge process, visit MichiganBroadbandMap.com and search for your address to find out the upload and download speeds internet service providers claim to be available at your home or business. If you think those numbers are wrong, you can visit tinyurl.com/MIHIchallenge to learn how to take a speed test, the results of which will be shared by the High-Speed Internet Office with an eligible challenger.

We call on everyone struggling with subpar internet and every local government to participate in the challenge process. The state needs the most accurate and complete information possible to make sure no one gets left behind.

They’ve already been left behind too long.

We have to get this right.