Better Data Will Inform Decisions for Improving Service in County
Eastern Upper Peninsula, MI. – Eastern Upper Peninsula Connect Collaborative is asking residents and businesses to take a 15-question survey about Internet service at their households and locations.
The survey asks whether high-speed (“broadband”) Internet service is available at a 911 service address, and if so, at what speed and cost.
The goal is to gain a clearer picture of broadband infrastructure in the Eastern Upper Peninsula (EUP) area. The survey will support infrastructure planning and possible broadband expansion efforts, including grant applications.
Over the past two years, the need for broadband has become more evident, with residents teleworking, students attending school online and patients meeting doctors virtually. The EUPConnect Collaborative knows many of our residents and businesses experience frustration over Internet connectivity. In some areas, high-speed Internet is unreliable or simply not available.
Home Internet connectivity prior to the COVID-19 pandemic was viewed by many as a luxury. Now though, it is a necessity, similar to electricity and clean water. EUPConnect Collaborative recognizes this and is committed to surveying residents and businesses to identify gaps in Internet infrastructure. To accomplish this, EUPConnect is partnering with Merit Network to develop survey and marketing materials aimed at reaching all properties in the EUP area.
Merit Network, a Michigan-based nonprofit, is conducting the service as part of its Michigan Moonshot initiative first piloted in the EUP schools.
Visit MichiganMoonshot.org/EUPConnect to complete the brief survey. Paper surveys are available upon request by calling (906) 259-8300.
ABOUT THE MICHIGAN MOONSHOT: The Michigan Moonshot is a collective call to action which aims to bridge the digital divide in Michigan. Stakeholders include Merit Network, the nation’s longest-running research and education network, the Quello Center at Michigan State University and M-Lab, the largest open Internet measurement platform in the world. Learn more about the Michigan Moonshot at Merit.edu/Moonshot.
MEDIA CONTACT:
EUPConnect Collaborative
906-259-8300
For more information:
MichiganMoonshot.org/EUPConnect
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