ANN ARBOR – Merit Network announced Tuesday the completion of Round 1 REACH-3MC construction. All infrastructure is installed with fiber-optic cable along the 1,017-mile network extension through rural and underserved areas in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, including all 55 fiber-optic lateral connections to Merit Members from the middle-mile infrastructure.
“Merit is proud to announce the completion of Round 1 REACH-3MC construction,” said Elwood Downing, vice president of outreach and member engagement for Merit. “Merit began REACH-3MC with a belief in equal access to information for all in Michigan and a vision to better support and grow the Merit community. The fiber miles announced today and the connections to our Members throughout Michigan are the culmination of a great project design and a great deal of hard work on the part of Merit and our community.”
The project now enters the final testing and acceptance phase, in which all fiber strands undergo OTDR (optical time-domain reflectometer) testing to ensure proper installation and ideal performance.
Both Merit and REACH-3MC Round 1 Sub-recipients are currently using active fibers across the REACH-3MC network to “light” service to current Members and customers. The final testing phase will verify the remaining fiber strands and engage REACH-3MC construction vendors to make any necessary repairs under their installation warranty.
Following testing and acceptance, the Round 1 REACH-3MC project will enter the final close-out period of the grant, which includes payment of final invoices and an audit of project financials by the federal grant agency.
