Broadband awards announced

The Merit Network and Michigan State University have been awarded funding under the Recovery Act to expand deploymnent of broadband infrastructure throughout the state.  Merit was awarded $33.3 million with an additional $8.3 million in matching funds to build a 955-mile advanced fiber optic network through 32 counties in the Lower Peninsula.  The project will serve an area covering 886,000 households, 45,800 buisnesses and an additional 378 anchor institutions.   Michigan State University was awarded an $895,000 public computer center grant with an additional $235,000 in mathcing funds to expand 84 existing library computer centers and establish four new computer centers. Computer centers were selected by targeting underserved and high unemployment population areas and then focusing on libraries with the greatest need for addtiional computing capacity. The project will add 500 new workstations throughout the state and serve nearly 13,000 additional users per week. Arnold Weinfeld is Director of Strategic initiatives and Federal Affairs for the Michigan Municipal League. He can be reaached at 517-908-0304 or by e-mail