Wireless Washtenaw, nearing the end of its critical pilot phase and within a few months of initial deployment, is hitting the road for a number of public forums across Washtenaw County. The first of these information forums takes place at the Manchester High School auditorium on March 26th at 7:00 PM.
The Wireless Washtenaw project team - which includes the partnering Internet service provider 20/20 Communications – is excited about the opportunity to meet and discuss the particulars of providing affordable high-speed Internet access throughout Washtenaw County. Of special interest to municipal leaders in the Southwest Washtenaw Council of Governments is the project’s aim to meet demand within underserved rural communities.
The project is entering a pre-deployment phase that includes the actual architectural design of the network that will eventually cover Washtenaw County’s entire 720 square miles. An important radio frequency survey to help create the most efficient and effective design of that network is now under way.
The Manchester forum, and others planned throughout the County in coming months, offer participants the opportunity to ask questions and learn more about the project’s vision and scope, as well as the technology, service and costs. The Village of Manchester, along with the City of Ann Arbor and City of Saline, were original pilot locations for Wireless Washtenaw.
“This is our opportunity to present the project’s progress to the community,” said David Behen, Deputy County Administrator. “Our project team has completed an incredible amount of work over the past twenty months, from the release of a Request for Information through the pilot evaluation process. The resulting partnership with our local provider, 20/20 Communications and global caliber backing from Siemens, puts us squarely on target to make this critical service available to our community.”
“The lessons learned from the pilot program have been instrumental in planning for county-wide deployment of the network,” said Bob Wolff, President of 20/20 Communications. “We are eager to share the results of the pilots with the community and discuss the service that residents can expect to receive as we expand the network.”
The Manchester Washtenaw Wireless Forum takes place:
Monday, March 26th - 7:00 PM
Manchester High School Auditorium
20500 Dutch Drive
Manchester,
Michigan
For more information, and for mapping to this Wireless Washtenaw Public Forum, please go to wireless.ewashtenaw.org, or contact James McFarlane (mcfarlanej@ewashtenaw.org ) at (734) 222-6587.