Broadband comes to county thanks to stimulus cash
Merit Network, Inc. announced a $33.3 million federal stimulus grant awarded January 20 to fund 80 percent of the cost of a 955 mile extension to the Ann Arbor-based research and education provider’s existing 1,600-mile fiber-optic backbone network.
The grant was one of four awarded by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration totaling more than $63 million.
As part of the same program, Michigan State University Extension will also receive an $895,000 public computer center grant to expand 84 existing library computer centers and establish four new ones.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment (stimulus) funds to MSU will provide 500 computer workstations statewide to provide public access to broadband internet services to “people in 15 underserved counties, including 23 new workstations in Clare County over the next year. The new Clare County workstations will be available to the public at Peré Marquette District Library in Clare, Surrey Township Library in Farwell and Harrison Community Library.
The first computer workstations will be installed in March, said Kirsten Khire, College of Communication Arts and Sciences.
Kurt DeMaagd, assistant professor of telecommunication, information studies and media, is leading the project designed to expand broadband access to underserved areas of Michigan. “This project is a tremendous opportunity to help our state significantly build its technology infrastructure, which is key to the future,” said DeMaagd.
The expanded and new public computer centers will serve 15 counties that currently have limited broadband access and high unemployment rates: Chippewa, Clare, Gladwin, Gogebic, Grand Traverse, Huron, Leelanau, Marquette, Menominee, Oakland, Oscoda, Otsego, Sanilac, Tuscola and Van Buren.
Working with MSU on that project are the Michigan Department of Information Technology, Library of Michigan, other state and local government agencies and regional broadband providers.
The Clare County Enterprise Community is funding connection to broadband for municipal access including the three libraries in all three communities. Clare-Gladwin Regional Education Service District owned broadband service is now used by the RESD, district schools and hospital.
To fund the $41.6 million statewide broadband cable extension, Merit Network and partners will add $8.3 in private funds to that project. Merit is partnering with four state-based commercial ISPs that will own new fiber-optic strands, including the Iserv Co., LLC, of Kentwood; ACD.net of Lansing; Lynx Network Group, LLC, of Kalamazoo; and TC3Net of Adrian.
Called the REACH-3MC (Rural, Education, Anchor, Community and Healthcare – Michigan Middle Mile Collaborative) the massive 32-county project will extend broadband service in one leg from Mt. Pleasant up the U.S. 127 corridor to Gaylord and east to Alpena, and from Monroe west to Berrien Springs and north along Michigan’s west coast to the Upper Peninsula. There are 44 anchor locations across the state, according to Merit’s August proposal.
“Broadband access is a critical component for economic development, and the REACH-3MC will deliver high-performance connectivity to businesses and homes in regions where it is currently unavailable,” said Merit CEO Don Welch.
The federal grant opens the door for commercial Internet service providers (ISPs) to be more competitive with larger firms such as Philadelphia-based Comcast Corp. and Charter Communications in Town and Country, Mo.
Cable will begin to be strung by May, with two-thirds of the project to be completed within two years said Merit spokesman Elwood Downing.
“The real advantage to everyone is that this build will be coming through and it’s going to give people multiple options of who they get services from,” Welch said.
Groundbreaking for the broadband extension project’s construction is scheduled for May. Engineering and permitting will begin immediately.
Merit Network Inc is a non-profit owned and governed by 12 public universities in Michigan – including Grand Valley State, Ferris State, Michigan State, Central Michigan, Western Michigan and the University of Michigan.
