NEWS
RELEASE
United States Department
of Agriculture • Rural Development
3001 Coolidge Rd. • 2nd Floor North • Suite 200 • East Lansing, MI 48823
Phone: (517) 324-5204 • Fax: (517) 324-5225 •
alec.lloyd@mi.usda.gov
Contact: Alec Lloyd
(517) 324-5204
USDA Rural Development Celebrates Groundbreaking in Mikado for Allband Communications Cooperative
EAST LANSING, Nov. 18, 2011 – U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Rural Development State Director for Michigan James J. Turner today commemorated the groundbreaking for a $9.7 million project to improve internet and telephone service in Northeast Michigan.
“Access to technology and high-speed communication are essential for the rural economy to move forward,” said Turner. “USDA Rural Development is proud to help provide the critical infrastructure necessary for rural Michigan to stay competitive and win the future.”
The agency provided a $1,107,903 grant to install broadband internet and telephone service to the Mikado area and a $8,622,754 grant for the installation of broadband internet and telephone service to parts of Alcona, Alpena, Montmorency and Oscoda counties. Both grants were through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
The Mikado project includes 13 miles of main line cable and 7 miles of service drops - drops are free with a service request. Allband will be providing service with a Calix E7 (Ethernet-based) platform with Gigabit Passive Optical Networking (GPON) technology which provides high-speed Internet, telephone and television services over a single fiber optic cable to end users. Customers can technically receive bandwidth speeds of up to 2.4 Gigabit per second (Gbps) downstream services (download) and 1.2 Gbps upstream (upload). The E7 platform can also provide dedicated connections with speeds up to 10 Gbps.
USDA, through its Rural Development mission area, administers and manages housing, business and community infrastructure and facility programs through a national network of state and local offices. These programs are designed to improve the economic stability of rural communities, businesses, residents, farmers and ranchers and improve the quality of life in rural America. Rural Development has an existing portfolio of more than $150 billion in loans and loan guarantees. Visit http://www.rurdev.usda.gov for additional information about the agency’s programs or to locate the USDA Rural Development office nearest you.
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