March 27, 2010
Merit Network, Inc. has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the optical hardware portion of the REACH-3MC network infrastructure project. Proposals will be received until June 16, 2010 at 4:30 p.m. (EDT).
Merit has been awarded a grant by the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) Broadband Technologies Opportunities Program (BTOP) as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). The purpose of the grant will be to fund the engineering and construction of approximately 955 miles of fiber-optic cable in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, which will include both aerial and underground.
This Request for Proposals (RFP) is for optical hardware only. At a date yet to be determined, Merit will be sending out separate RFPs for fiber optic infrastructure and construction. Merit is not seeking bids for networking or construction in this RFP.