This EDA investment supports the construction of a 70-mile fiber optic infrastructure that will serve as the interconnection backbone passing through the eastern upper peninsula of michigan

This $5.24 million Economic Adjustment Assistance Project Grant from the Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration will support the construction of a 70-mile fiber optic infrastructure backbone through Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The funding assists Merit Network, Inc., a nonprofit network operator, in further developing the Leveraging Infrastructure for Transforming the Upper Peninsula initiative. This project will build last-mile connections to serve remote and underserved regions, including businesses, educational institutions, healthcare providers, and residents with improved high-speed internet access. Reliable connectivity can help the region embrace telehealth, distance learning, and attract/retain businesses and jobs, bolstering economic resiliency particularly in response to challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic. The EDA's Economic Adjustment Assistance program aims to support regions facing adverse economic changes through technical assistance and infrastructure projects.

The project will assist merit network, a non-profit, member-owned, and university-operated organization, with furthering the leveraging infrastructure for transforming the upper peninsula (lift-up) initiative, which provides middle-mile infrastructure to local internet service providers. The project will build out the last-mile connections and serve remote and underserved regions, which include businesses, educational institutions, healthcare providers, and residents. With reliable high-speed internet access, the region can embrace new forms of healthcare and educational services delivery in response to the challenges faced during the covid-19 pandemic, which will make the region more resilient to future shocks, and more effectively attract and retain businesses and jobs to boost economic resiliency throughout the region.