January 7, 2011
ANN ARBOR – Merit Network will be holding a community meeting on January 19, 2011, to provide an introduction to the Charlevoix County communities on Merit’s Broadband Stimulus Project, REACH-3MC.
In 2010, Merit Network, Inc. received two federal grants from funds allocated through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009, totaling more than $100 million for Merit’s broadband project, REACH-3MC. The Rural, Education, Anchor, Community and Health care – Michigan Middle Mile Collaborative (REACH-3MC) is a collaboration that will build much needed broadband infrastructure in many parts of the state. The first grant for $33.3 million will enable the construction of a 1,017 mile open-access network in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. The second grant for $69.6 million will be used to add an additional 1,270 miles of fiber-optic infrastructure in Northern Lower and Upper Peninsulas of Michigan. REACH-3MC is middle-mile infrastructure project funded through a program of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).
Merit Network structured the REACH-3MC project to include several sub-recipients, organizations that can leverage the new infrastructure to improve broadband access to homes and businesses along the route.
The route for REACH-3MC will bring this fiber build to the Charlevoix County area. On January 19, 2011, representatives from Merit Network will introduce the plans for this project and answer questions on how the community can take advantage of this high-speed network.
This meeting will be held at 1:00 p.m. on January 19, 2011, at:
Charlevoix Public Library
220 W. Clinton Street
Charlevoix, MI 49720
The meeting will take place at 1:00 p.m. and is open to the public.
About Merit Network
Merit Network Inc., is a nonprofit corporation owned and governed by Michigan’s public universities. Merit owns and operates America’s longest-running regional research and education network. In 1966, Michigan’s public universities created Merit as a shared resource to help meet their common need for networking assistance. Since its formation, Merit Network has remained at the forefront of research and education networking expertise and services. Merit provides high-performance networking and IT solutions to Michigan’s public universities, colleges, K-12 organizations, libraries, state government, healthcare, and other non-profit organizations.
For more information: www.merit.edu
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