December 17, 2010
Who:
Scott Crosby, Superintendent, Manistee Intermediate Schools and Wexford-Missaukee Intermediate Schools
Gabe Schneider, Community Affairs Specialist for U.S. Senator Carl Levin
Brandon Fewins, Northern Michigan Regional Manager for U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow
Bob Stovall, Vice President of Network Engineering and Operations, Merit Network, Inc.
Peter Bertsch, President and CEO, Earthcom, Inc.
Tim Ervin, Chairman, Connect Manistee
Cyndy Fuller, Executive Director, Manistee Alliance for Economic Success
What:
Groundbreaking ceremony commemorating the first phase of construction for Merit’s REACH-3MC Broadband Stimulus Project. Manistee ISD, the first community anchor institution connected by REACH-3MC, will host key stakeholders who will reflect upon this momentous occasion.
In 2010, Merit Network, Inc. received two federal stimulus awards for REACH-3MC. The Rural Education, Anchor, Community and Health care – Michigan Middle Mile Collaborative (REACH-3MC) will create 2,287 miles of fiber-optic infrastructure in many rural areas of Michigan and provide backhaul to key connection points in Wisconsin and Minnesota.
Through REACH-3MC, Merit will enable state and local governments, colleges, schools, libraries, health care facilities and other community anchor institutions to connect to Merit’s private, high-performance network, enabling them to lower costs, consolidate services and provide more to Michigan’s citizens. Merit engages commercial sub-recipients on REACH-3MC to improve service to homes and businesses. Merit’s existing fiber infrastructure combined with the new REACH-3MC network infrastructure creates a robust footprint in the state, providing Michigan with a strategic asset to leverage in the future.
Where:
Manistee Intermediate School District
772 East Parkdale Ave
Manistee, Michigan 49660
When:
Tuesday, December 21, 2010 at 11:00 AM
How:
The event is open to the public. Anyone may attend in person. Please arrive fifteen minutes early.
Most of the event will take place indoors. Groundbreaking will take place outside, so please dress appropriately.
For more information: www.merit.edu
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