Michigan Economic Development Corporation releases high-speed telecommunications infrastructure map

Lansing 06 December 2001 The Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC)in the USA released maps of Michigan's high-speed telecommunications infrastructure that demonstrate the existence of a digital divide in the rural and economically challenged urban communities throughout the state.

"These maps show what we have been saying all along, that Michigan has a growing digital divide when it comes to high-speed access throughout the state", stated Doug Rothwell, president and CEO of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. "Residents in many urban and rural communities alike are unable to receive high-speed access and the tremendous amount of opportunities that come along with it."

The mapping project, performed by the Ohio Supercomputer Center (OSC), used some 40 federal databases to plot actual physical infrastructure throughout the state. Here are a number of the OSC findings:

  • High-speed backbone support infrastructure is unavailable outside of most metropolitan areas of the state.
  • Michigan's cable modem access is at the national average.
  • Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) availability is limited and below national averages.
  • There is virtually no DSL connectivity in the northern section of the state and the entire Upper Peninsula.

OSC is conducting additional analysis. However, overall OSC noted that Michigan's DSL build out is slow. "Michigan's telecommunications infrastructure has a long way to go before high-speed access is readily available throughout the state", stated J. Pari Sabety, director of the Technology Policy Group, Ohio Supercomputer Center.

OSC was contracted by the MEDC to perform this mapping project due to the group's experience in mapping high-speed telecommunications infrastructure, including the state of Ohio. The MEDC, a partnership between the state and local communities, promotes smart economic growth by developing strategies and providing services to create and retain good jobs and a high quality of life.

Ad Emmen

[News on Advanced IT]   [Calendar]   [Analysis]   [IT in Medicine]