ANN ARBOR, MI – Merit Network, Inc. announced today the completion of three key segments of their Round II REACH-3MC network build-out: Cadillac to Mio, Gaylord to Mackinaw City, and Grayling to Kalkaska. Merit has completed construction on the segments and activated optical network equipment that is used to “light” the newly installed fiber to provide service.
The fiber-optic cable lit today is part of the Round II REACH-3MC “mainline.” Led by Merit Network, the goal of REACH-3MC is to construct fiber-optic infrastructure that connects communities together. In the process, Merit connects community anchor institutions (schools, libraries, health care, government, public safety) by way of “laterals,” or spurs, from the mainline.
An additional 13 community anchor institutions have received lateral connections along the completed network segments announced today. The laterals have 1 gigabit (Gbps) capacity and connect the anchor institutions to Merit’s network. With the mainline now lit, Merit expects to have those 13 institutions transitioned to the new and improved service made possible by REACH-3MC within 2 weeks.
“I am proud to announce fiber continuity and lit service between Cadillac and Mio, Gaylord and Mackinaw City, and Grayling and Kalkaska,” said Michael Milliken, director of network engineering for Merit Network.
“With these segments now lit, between both Round I and Round II Merit now has continuity from Cadillac through Mt. Pleasant and north to Mackinaw City, giving us a strong presence in Michigan’s Central and Northern Lower Peninsula to leverage and provide better service to our membership in this region of the state.”
Utilizing the completed Round I REACH-3MC network and recently lit fiber crossing the Mackinaw Bridge obtained as part of the Round II REACH-3MC project, Merit now boasts a 10 gigabit (Gbps) core backbone spanning Monroe in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula into the Upper Peninsula.
Merit expects to announce completion on the remaining Round II REACH-3MC segments in Michigan’s Northern Lower and Upper Peninsulas later this summer.
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
About REACH-3MC
The REACH Michigan Middle Mile Collaborative (REACH-3MC) will build 2,287 miles of open-access, advanced fiber-optic network through rural and underserved communities in Michigan’s Lower and Upper Peninsulas. The network will also provide backhaul to key connection points in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Led by Merit Network, Michigan’s research and education network, REACH-3MC includes sub-recipients from the private sector to make broadband readily available to households and businesses that lack adequate service options in the 52 counties that make up the project service area. REACH-3MC is funded by a two grants (Round I and Round II) from the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), commonly referenced as the Stimulus Package.
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