Community Partnerships
Throughout Washtenaw County, public entities are coming together in partnership and cooperation to lay the groundwork necessary for a county-wide network.
The goal of the Wireless Washtenaw project is to facilitate the deployment
of a high-speed wireless Internet network in Washtenaw County that will be
equally available in urban, suburban and rural settings in 2007.
To accomplish this task, the project team proposes that private corporations be allowed to place broadcasting equipment on select community assets. These assets might include water towers, antenna towers, street poles, and other tall infrastructure. These assets are owned, operated, and maintained by the various 28 local units of government within Washtenaw County. Therefore, intergovernmental collaboration is critical to the success of the project.
In order to pool the community’s assets for this initiative, the project team crafted a Master Participation Agreement. This agreement sets the legal foundation for the use of public assets in exchange for wireless Internet service. Each governing entity will have the opportunity to specify which assets they are willing to make available for the project, accompanied with any restrictions or conditions upon the use of said asset.
A final version of the Master Participation Agreement is available for download. This final version reflects the feedback that the project team received from the local governing units throughout 2005. We would like to thank all the local officials who provided this feedback. The project team worked hard to modify the document in light of your comments.
The project team would also like to give special thanks to Courtland Anderson of Bodman LLP, who constructed the document and worked with the project team pro bono.
To accomplish this task, the project team proposes that private corporations be allowed to place broadcasting equipment on select community assets. These assets might include water towers, antenna towers, street poles, and other tall infrastructure. These assets are owned, operated, and maintained by the various 28 local units of government within Washtenaw County. Therefore, intergovernmental collaboration is critical to the success of the project.
In order to pool the community’s assets for this initiative, the project team crafted a Master Participation Agreement. This agreement sets the legal foundation for the use of public assets in exchange for wireless Internet service. Each governing entity will have the opportunity to specify which assets they are willing to make available for the project, accompanied with any restrictions or conditions upon the use of said asset.
A final version of the Master Participation Agreement is available for download. This final version reflects the feedback that the project team received from the local governing units throughout 2005. We would like to thank all the local officials who provided this feedback. The project team worked hard to modify the document in light of your comments.
The project team would also like to give special thanks to Courtland Anderson of Bodman LLP, who constructed the document and worked with the project team pro bono.
