Washington, DC - Congressman John D. Dingell (D-MI15) congratulates Merit Network, Inc., an Ann Arbor member-owned nonprofit dedicated to engineering and establishing a computer network connecting the innovation of Michigan educational institutions to the wider community, for receiving a nearly $70 million grant under the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP).

The U.S. Department of Commerce awarded the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant for Merit Network’s REACH Michigan Middle Mile Collaborative II (REACH-3MC II) project, which will create a 1,210-mile fiber network linking the homes, businesses, and community organizations of northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula to research and educational communities in Green Bay, Wisconsin and Duluth, Minnesota at speeds between 100 megabytes-per-second and 10 gigabytes-per-second.

“This grant recognizes the importance of Merit Network’s work in extending broadband availability, sharing the cutting-edge research of Michigan innovators with the world, and fueling economic growth by providing business and workers with the information they need to prosper,” Dingell said.

In total, Merit will develop a more than 3,800-mile fiber-optic backbone for the state, with the recent grant allowing it to take advantage of an extensive existing platform, billing system, and operations capacity.  REACH-3MC II will offer affordable high-speed service to 733,000 households and 49,000 businesses by granting the area’s Internet providers access to the project’s open network.  The new project will leverage Merit’s already-initiated work on 955-mile advanced fiber-optic network in the Lower Peninsula’s underserved areas, which earned Merit a $33.3 million BTOP infrastructure grant in August. 

The planned fiber route will also provide opportunities for collaboration with small businesses during its construction phase and will supply broadband capabilities to three Native American tribes in the region: the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, the Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians, and the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Chippewa.

“High-speed broadband access is key to the success of Michigan innovators and entrepreneurs in a global economy,” Dingell said.  “By providing quality access to the Web, Merit Networks is bringing opportunity to communities across the state.”