LANSING – A survey says 98.37 percent of Michigan residents now have access to broadband speeds of 10 megabits per seconds download and 1.5 megabits per second upload, a 2 percent increase from the 95.89 percent reported in April 2013.

The report came from Connect Michigan to celebrate GIS Day ? geographic information systems used to analyze diverse topics in local, state, federal and international operations.

?We have seen many new and existing broadband service providers investing and expanding service into previously unserved or underserved rural areas,? said Connect Michigan state program manager Eric Frederick. ?While some communities still struggle with broadband access, Connect Michigan?s Connected Community Engagement Program is working to identify these areas and connect them with service providers that are able to expand.?

Connect Michigan has been working since 2009 to ensure that Michigan residents have access to the economic, educational, and quality-of-life benefits derived from increased broadband access, adoption, and use. Part of that work includes maintaining detailed GIS analysis of broadband availability across the state to support broadband planning efforts. This is the eighth round of releasing these data.

Among the findings of the new broadband availability research are:

97.73 percent of households have access to fixed broadband speeds of 3 Mbps download/768 Kbps upload or higher, the relevant metric the FCC uses to determine eligibility for Connect America Fund subsidies.

Broadband availability at 6 Mbps download/1.5 Mbps upload increased more than 2 percent from 96.29% in April 2013 to its current 98.50 percent (including mobile wireless, but excluding satellite services).

Broadband availability at 10 Mbps download/1.5 Mbps upload increased

more than 2 percent from 95.89 percent in April 2013 to its current 98.37 percent (including mobile wireless, but excluding satellite services).

68.35 percent of Michigan?s households now have access to fixed wireless broadband service; this is an increase of 37 percent from October 2011.

83.33 percent of Michigan?s households now have access to broadband service of at least 50 Mbps download/1.5 Mbps upload, excluding mobile wireless and satellite services; this is an increase of 34 percent from October 2011.

83.30 percent of Michigan?s households now have access to broadband service of at least 100 Mbps download/1.5 Mbps upload, excluding mobile wireless and satellite services; this is an increase of 60 percent since October 2011.

Connect Michigan?s research was conducted as part of the State Broadband Initiative grant program for Michigan, funded by the U.S. Department of Commerce?s National Telecommunications and Information Administration. The data were gathered in accordance with the requirements of the NTIA.