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Merit Key to Success of LinkMichigan Project

For Immediate Release

ANN ARBOR - Merit Network performed an important role in assisting the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) and in rolling out the LinkMichigan effort statewide. Merit assisted in planning and presenting at information sessions across the state, and was contracted by MEDC to build and maintain the LinkMichigan Web site.

Merit also performed LinkMichigan consulting and planning for a total of 23 counties organized into six project areas. The counties with whom Merit worked were Antrim, Arenac, Benzie, Charlevoix, Clare, Emmet, Gladwin, Gratiot, Grand Traverse, Iosco, Isabella, Kalkaska, Leelanau, Livingston, Mecosta, Missaukee, Montcalm, Osceola, Ogemaw, Roscommon, Shiawassee, Washtenaw and Wexford

Merit feels the recommendations in the reports give the counties a good roadmap of what to do to get higher bandwidth services deployed in their areas. The key recommendation is to organize a carrier-neutral collocation facility and to build a regional backbone comprising fiber and wireless, to connect key economic development and other areas together.

Another key area is the leadership that will be required to ensure successful broadband deployment in each area. To this end, Merit provided a snapshot of each county's current infrastructure, mapped in GIS format. In addition, each of the "User Needs" sections provide a good summary of bandwidth growth over time, as well as key trends indicating that the trajectory of bandwidth growth will not slow.

As an example of Merit's regional LinkMichigan work, here is the executive suumary, as well as the entire report (in PDF format) for the Traverse Bay TechConnect region, around Traverse City.
For press/media contact:

Elwood Downing
Merit Network, Inc.
Phone: (734)527-5702
Email:



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