MARQUETTE, MI— The U.S. Economic Development Administration is awarding $3 million in CARES Act funding to expand internet access in the Eastern U.P.
The Recovery Assistance grant to Merit Network of Ann Arbor will be used to construct a 70-mile fiber optic infrastructure. It will increase access to high-speed internet in Mackinac, Chippewa and Luce counties and support the region’s Leveraging Infrastructure for Transforming the Upper Peninsula—or “LIFT-UP” initiative—which provides middle-mile infrastructure to local internet service providers.
The grant will be matched with $2.3 million in local funds.
It’s expected to create 50 jobs, retain 10 jobs, and generate $5 million in private investment.
