MEDIA ADVISORY
Who:
- James Lorenson, President, Gogebic Community College
- Elwood Downing, Vice President, Member Relations, Communications, Services and Product Development, Merit Network
- Tom Ruppe, Network Support Analyst, Gogebic Community Mental Health
- Juliane Giackino, County Administrator, Gogebic County
- Elaine Erickson, Director, Ironwood Carnegie Library
- Amy Berglund, U. P. Regional Representative, Office of U.S. Senator Carl Levin
- Jeremy Hosking, U. P. Regional Manager, Office of U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow
What:
Fiber-optic Infrastructure Dedication for the Gogebic Community to commemorate the completion of significant segments of Merit’s REACH-3MC Broadband Stimulus Project. Gogebic Community College will host key stakeholders who will reflect on this momentous occasion. Merit Network will announce a significant milestone for the project and answer questions on how the community can take advantage of this high-speed network.
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 rural and underserved areas throughout Michigan and provide backhaul to key interconnection points in Wisconsin and Minnesota.
Through REACH-3MC, Merit enables state and local government, 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 project participants from the private sector to improve service to homes and businesses along the REACH-3MC route. 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:
Gogebic Community College
Davis G. Lindquist Student Center
E-4946 Jackson Rd
Ironwood, MI 49938
When:
Tuesday, November 19, 2013 at 11:30 AM Central Time
How:
The event is open to the public. Anyone may attend in person. Please arrive 15 minutes before the scheduled start time.
For more information: www.merit.edu
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