Grant Funds High-Speed Internet Plan
High-speed Internet access in the rural areas of Gratiot, Montcalm, Mecosta and parts of Ionia county is in the final planning stages.
Thanks to a $26 million federal grant, Casair Inc. will be building new towers, building fiber to the towers and adding wireless gear, said Todd Gardner, director of operations at Casair, headquartered in Stanton.
“The USDA program requires us to mostly complete in 24 months and (be) 100 percent completed in 36 months,” he said.
The company, he said, has acquired licensed band wireless spectrum, which allows higher power levels free from interference.
“We are in the final phase of testing and certifying the wireless hardware,” Gardner said. “As it relates to the fiber phase of our expansion, Casair is required to secure the approval of several agencies before construction can begin.
“We are in the final stage of working with the State Historical Preservation Office to secure the last approval needed before fiber construction can begin,” he added.
Gardner said most of the customers will be wireless, “but those who are directly on the fiber route will indeed be connected via fiber. Large businesses and institutions (that) are not directly on the fiber route may be able to justify any fiber build-out expense to extend the fiber to their location.”
However, the vast majority of their customers will likely find the company’s new 4G network more than adequate.
When the work will take place in specific areas in Gratiot County still isn’t known.
The company has to work around “protected animal breeding seasons, Michigan Department of Transportation construction, rail road crossing schedules, permits, etc.,” he said.
“I can tell you that one of our first fiber installs and tower upgrades will take place in Gratiot County,” he said. “Alma is a strategic location for us and is home to many key anchor institutions as well as a key telecommunications anchor point.”
When asked about townships such as Sumner, Bethany, Wheeler or Lafayette, Gardner explained that those areas are currently without existing towers.
“We plan on building three new 250-foot-tall cell towers to cover those areas,” he said.
As for existing towers, he said the company will upgrade towers one at a time over the next 24 months.
“As each tower is upgraded, Casair will contact all existing and pending service requests in the service area of that tower, giving them an opportunity to sign up for the service,” Gardner said.
The company is working on pricing now, but Gardner said customers will find their prices competitive.
Casair will have sub contractors install the fiber and they will install as much as one and one half miles a day, he said.
“There are many factors that determine our time frame to roll out services,” Gardner said. “Everyone involved from MDOT to Gratiot County’s Road Commission have been very good to work with speeding up the process for us to deliver services.
“Other factors such as the supply chain have certainly slowed down our rollout, but overall, we are pleased with the progress at this point and look forward to expanding our service to the area.”