On Tuesday, the Traverse City Light and Power board voted to finance a new fiber-optic internet plan.
The paid service will compete with commercial internet providers to serve high-speed internet locally.
Tim Arands, executive director of TCL&P, says the new plan will benefit local residents and businesses.
"The upload speeds are not very good in our town," he says. "Some people absolutely need this technology to be able to do their work."
The first phase of the plan will serve around 2,200 customers in the downtown Traverse City area. Installation will begin next month.