ANN ARBOR – Merit Network, Inc. announced the selection of Earthcom as telecommunications huts vendor for the REACH-3MC II broadband stimulus project. Earthcom will install prefabricated telecommunications huts that will house REACH-3MC II optical equipment to power the next-generation network.
“Merit Network is pleased to announce the selection of Earthcom as telecommunications huts vendor for REACH-3MC II,” said Michael Milliken, director of network engineering for Merit.
“Earthcom will help Merit fulfill the REACH-3MC II goal of improved service to underserved communities. The telecommunications huts are essential to providing service to community anchor institutions, homes, businesses and local ISPs in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and Northern Wisconsin. They also protect the network from uncertainty by providing a permanent location for critical networking gear.”
Earthcom will install prefabricated huts in the following communities along the REACH-3MC II fiber route: Crystal Falls, Engadine, Escanaba, Iron Mountain, Ironwood, Manistique (MI), Ashland, Marinette, Poplar (WI).
The huts that Earthcom will install are Precision Quincy XP Series. Precision Quincy will manufacture the huts custom to meet the needs of the REACH-3MC II project.
The equipment to be housed in the telecommunications huts includes, optronics, signal regeneration and colocation gear of both Merit Network and REACH-3MC II commercial sub-recipients’ networks.
Earthcom was selected from a number of qualified applicants who responded to a Request for Proposal (RFP). While there were several strong proposals, Merit’s team thoroughly reviewed all RFPs and determined that Earthcom could deliver the best solution to meet the technical requirements of the REACH-3MC II project.
The Merit evaluation team made their selection based on the following criteria: design, survey and site preparation, materials and installation, experience in Michigan and Wisconsin as well as scalability.
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