Updated
Updated · WJMN · Jul 17
ShoreWaves to End Michigan Internet Service by July 31 After 2-Year Sale Effort Fails
Updated
Updated · WJMN · Jul 17

ShoreWaves to End Michigan Internet Service by July 31 After 2-Year Sale Effort Fails

1 articles · Updated · WJMN · Jul 17

Summary

  • ShoreWaves said internet and telephone service in Michigan's Copper Country will continue only through the end of July 2026, after which the fixed wireless provider will shut down.
  • Founder Steve Fitzgerald said he spent more than two years trying to sell the business so he could retire, but repeated efforts to sell the company's assets fell through.
  • Labor Day is the deadline for no-cost pickup of indoor and outdoor equipment, and customers with account credits will be refunded after returns are completed.
  • Customers installed on or after Aug. 1, 2025 will get 50% of installation charges back, while those installed on or after Feb. 1, 2026 will receive full refunds.
  • ShoreWaves is steering customers to find replacement phone and internet providers on their own, with options in the region including Michigan Broadband Systems, Baraga Telephone, Starlink, Spectrum, AT&T and Verizon.

Insights

As a local ISP closes, will tech giants save rural America's internet?
Why are small internet providers shutting down despite massive federal funding?