Link NLEA Broadband Council
Link NLEA is a Northern Lakes Economic Alliance initiative aimed at improving and expanding the area's telecommunications infrastructure so that high-speed Internet access (Broadband) and other advanced telecommunication services are available to all communities throughout Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan and Emmet Counties.
Communities thrive or decline on the quality of life they offer and their ability to attract and retain viable commerce. The availability of Broadband services is becoming an ever important factor in providing that quality of life, educating our children, and providing an environment that secures our future.
What is Broadband?
A dial-up Internet connection is not Broadband, while the high-speed connection delivered to a large corporation must be Broadband. Perhaps the best way to define Broadband is to define some of those advantages. Users with a Broadband connection:
- Can view typical Web pages in a few seconds rather than several 10's of seconds.
- Can download E-Mail, photos, documents, and other typical files while listening to audio or video streams or browsing Web pages at the same time.
- Can exchange large documents in 10's of seconds rather than 10's of minutes or perhaps hours.
- Can have multiple computers accessing different destinations on the Internet at the same time without tying up regular telephone service.
- Can view video presentations and run interactive applications and games that dial-up connections simply don't permit.
Broadband connectivity to a business offers opportunities such as real-time commerce, on-line training, remote access to information, and better customer support. For many businesses, the cost of broadband services is easily offset by improved efficiencies and expanded opportunities.
Mission Statement:
The Link NLEA Broadband Council was created by the Northern Lakes Economic Alliance to act as an advocate of broadband matters with both the public and private sectors throughout the NLEA region.
GOALS & OBJECTIVES:
- Goal 1: The Link NLEA Broadband Council will encourage education on broadband technologies and the application of those technologies.
- Objective 1.1: Actively engage in local educational and promotional activities regarding the application and availability of broadband services.
- Objective 1.2: Encourage broadband issues be a component of project and development planning activities at the county and local levels.
- Goal 2: The Link NLEA Broadband Council will actively encourage the development and dissemination of broadband throughout the NLEA region.
- Objective 2.1: Encourage investment in the development of wireless, DSL, cable and eventually fiber for the medium sized communities by taking actions that cause aggregation of demand for services and by offering access to public infrastructure.
- Objective 2.2: Encourage the aggregation of services between providers and seek incentives for those providers to develop services in the smaller communities.
- Objective 2.3: Encourage the concentration of the demand and buying power of the various communities into small broadband co-operative purchasing units and disseminate those services to nearby rural areas.
- Goal 3: The Link NLEA Broadband Council will act as a clearinghouse for information on the availability of broadband in the region.
- Objective 3.1: Work with the very rural areas of the NLEA region to determine what technologies and funding mechanisms can be used to provide base-line broadband services to these areas.
- Objective 3.2: Determine a mechanism for providing information about broadband availability.
History of the Link NLEA Broadband Council
In 2002, NLEA received a grant through the “Link Michigan” initiative sponsored through the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) and the Michigan Broadband Development Authority (MBDA). Funding was used to study Broadband issues throughout the NLEA service area (Antrim, Charlevoix and Emmet Counties).
The study, entitled “Northern Lakes Economic Alliance ‘Link NLEA’ Broadband Study of Antrim, Charlevoix and Emmet Counties”, was completed in 2004. The Link NLEA report is designed to serve as a regional call to action to improve the availability, cost, and quality of high-speed Internet and advanced telecommunications services for citizens in the region.
A key recommendation of the study was the formation of a regional broadband development advisory board or “broadband council” to provide guidance to municipal leaders, technical assistance, education and public relations. The “Link NLEA Broadband Council” was formed as a committee of the NLEA Board on July 15, 2004.
2004 Link NLEA Broadband Study
Link NLEA Broadband Council Members
- Eric Grandstaff, Council Chair, Director of Library and Academic Technologies, North Central Michigan College
- Brian Kelly, GIS Coordinator, Charlevoix County
- Charles Scott, President, Gaslight Media
- David McCauslin, IT Director, Cheboygan Public Schools
- Dianne Forster, MIS Director, North Central Community Mental Health
- Elwood Downing, Member Services Manager, Merit Network
- Gary Appold, IT Manager, Emmet County
- Gary Osterbeck, Northern Lakes Economic Alliance Board of Directors
- Jake Jensen, President/CEO, Charlevoix Wireless
- Jeff Chevlalier, Straitsarea.com
- Matt Hellens, IT Manager, Cheboygan County
- Steve Neal, IT Director, Petoskey Schools
About Us