Residents across Michigan are cutting cable at record rates, according to a new report from the Michigan Public Service Commission. The annual report issued on February 1 says that over 151,000 households — or roughly four percent statewide — have cut the cord. Based on population, this would essentially translate to the entirety of the Upper Peninsula canceling cable television in 2022.

“There’s a trend that people are moving away from fixed cable to streaming services,” said Matt Helms, a spokesperson for the Public Services Commission, which regulates the natural gas, electrical and telecommunications industries in Michigan.

Locally, Jamadots has provided a streaming service since 2018, which is rare for a communications company in the United States. Offering local network affiliates with other specialty channels that are common in larger markets, the local streaming service is designed to pair with bigger cable competitors like SlingTV, Netflix and YouTubeTV.

“Streaming video is a great option to save money by simply tailoring a video package for your household and only paying for the channels you want,” Jamadots President and CEO Jay Brogan said.

In rural parts of the state, streaming was not always an option due to technological deficiencies. After new fiber lines took over in Alger County, a direct competitor to cable was possible locally.

“Ultimately this fiber deployment allows for higher speed offerings to more homes giving more customers the freedom to choose streaming services and attain the high internet speeds needed to run all of your devices and the next big thing the internet brings to us,” Brogan said.

Cable television reached record highs in 2009 when 2.37 households subscribed, which is roughly 62 percent of all households in Michigan had a cable box. The number stagnated until 2016 when streaming services started making moves in the small screen entertainment market.