ANN ARBOR, MI - State Rep. Donna Lasinski, D-Scio Township, wants to see an expansion of high-speed Internet services into some of Michigan's more rural areas, including parts of Washtenaw County she represents.

State Rep. Donna Lasinski, D-Scio Township.

Lasinski this week introduced a bill to amend the Michigan Public Improvements Act to allow townships to use special assessments to fund broadband and communications projects in areas that still need high-speed Internet.

"I hear from constituents each day that they are unable to complete everyday tasks due to their lack of broadband," Lasinski said in a statement. "Some municipalities in my district are now taking it upon themselves to explore other avenues to address this problem, which could potentially be solved by allowing special assessments to help fund broadband infrastructure."

Lasinski was elected in November to represent western Washtenaw County, including Chelsea, Dexter, Saline, Manchester and several townships.

House Bill 4162 would add the construction, improvement and maintenance of communications infrastructure, including broadband and high-speed Internet, to the list of public improvements for which townships could use special assessment districts to help fund, making property owners that benefit pay for all or part of the cost of improvements. Michigan law does not allow that now.

Changing the law could help residents who still need broadband service and whose property values would benefit from it, Lasinski argues.

"Enabling townships to help connect residents to more affordable, reliable, high-speed Internet can allow entrepreneurs to develop their home-based businesses, students to complete their schoolwork at home, property values for homeowners to increase and seniors to comfortably age in place," she said. "I am hopeful this bill will be passed to promote the economic benefits of broadband and improve quality of life for hundreds of thousands of Michiganders."

State Rep. Yousef Rabhi, D-Ann Arbor, and several other reps are co-sponsoring the legislation. Read a copy of the bill here.