OTTAWA COUNTY, MI \u2014 Southfield-based 123NET said it has connected its first customers in a $15 million project for Ottawa County.<\/p>\n
The project, approved by the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners in December 2023, will add 325 miles of additional fiber and bring high-performance internet access to about 2,500 underserved businesses and residents once completed.<\/p>\n
Funding sources include $9 million in ROBIN (Realizing Opportunity with Broadband Infrastructure Networks) grant funding, $4 million from the county and $1.9 million from 123Net.<\/p>\n
\u201cAccess to affordable high-speed internet isn\u2019t a luxury \u2014 it\u2019s a necessity in our professional, personal and social lives,\u201d Eric Frederick, Michigan High-Speed Internet Office chief connectivity officer, said in a statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Michigan High-Speed Internet Office is continuing to bring broadband access statewide, and we\u2019re celebrating a more digitally equitable Michigan with this connectivity in Ottawa County where people can use reliable technology to improve their quality of life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ronda Fisher of Hudsonville was one of the first customers to have reliable internet at her home thanks to this buildout.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were utilizing our hotspot to stream,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m so excited to get fiber internet to our home, where our family can stream, work and do whatever we need to do without fearing that our internet won\u2019t keep up.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Ottawa County fiber installation will connect to 123Net\u2019s existing 4,000-mile Michigan network, which links to multiple data centers and peering exchanges, including the Grand Rapids and Detroit Internet Exchanges. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis deployment will empower residents with the tools they need to succeed and, ultimately, change how people live, work and thrive in Ottawa County.\u201d Chuck Irvin, 123Net\u2019s chief revenue officer, said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Residents can choose internet speeds from 250 megabits to six gigabits per second, which is up to 100 times faster than connections available at these addresses previously, according to 123Net. The open-access, carrier-neutral network will allow other internet providers to use the fiber, giving residents more choice for service.<\/p>\n
\u201cYears of hard work navigating the complexities of enhancing broadband infrastructure has culminated in this major milestone \u2014 connecting our first customer to 123NET\u2019s robust fiber network,\u201d Paul Sachs, Ottawa County Department of Strategic Impact director, said in a statement. \u201cIt\u2019s so rewarding to witness this tangible first step in providing the high-speed connectivity county residents and businesses need to thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Businesses and residents in Ottawa County can find out if their address is included in the project and register for service at 123.net<\/a>.<\/p>\n If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement<\/a> and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and\/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"OTTAWA COUNTY, MI \u2014 Southfield-based 123NET said it has connected its first customers in a $15 million project…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":92736,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[1638,86,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-92735","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-internet","8":"tag-internet","9":"tag-technology","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom","12":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92735","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=92735"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92735\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/92736"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=92735"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=92735"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=92735"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}