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Investing almost $70 million in increasing the access to high-speed Internet in Northern Michigan is necessary for economic growth and diversity in the state of Michigan.

After relying on the auto industry and Detroit to carry the state for many years, Michigan has been lost in the wilderness for too long due to the lack of attention to other areas of the state. Not only were other sectors of the economy neglected, but whole regions of the state. We hope the broadband grant in Northern Michigan will show the rest of the state that there is a new region ready to play an important role in the state’s economy.

We know that Merit Network’s grant money, received from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Broadband Technology Opportunities Program, won’t change Oscoda County overnight, but it can lead to more opportunities in the future. Internet service is important for residents and potential new residents, and new or existing businesses.

Let’s hope that Merit works fast, and that when the fiberoptic network is laid out in Northern Michigan, Oscoda County will have a new asset to offer.