HOLLAND – Ottawa County has hired 123NET to construct 380 miles of additional fiber to bring faster Internet access to about 4,000 underserved residents.
Ottawa County’s Board of Commissioners and 123NET finalized the public private partnership on Dec. 21, 2023. Funding for the roughly $25 million project is slated to come from a variety of sources including $14 million in ROBIN Grant Funding, $7.5 million from Ottawa County’s American Rescue Plan Act funds and $3.5 million from 123NET.
“We’re at an interesting time in broadband deployment as there are a number of unique funding programs that counties and municipalities can access,” said Chuck Irvin, Executive Vice President of 123NET. “Ottawa County leadership understands that fast, reliable internet is essential for all of its businesses and residents and has done a great job accessing these available funds for a county-wide rollout to bring high-speed fiber internet to all underserved and unserved residents. 123NET is proud to be part of this exciting project.”
123NET’s Ottawa County fiber installation will further connect to its existing Michigan network that spans 4,000 miles and connects to multiple data centers and peering exchanges like the Detroit Internet Exchange and Grand Rapids Internet Exchange. As a result, Ottawa residents can expect internet speeds of up to 6 gigabits per second, which is 100 times faster than other providers. Additionally, the network will be both open access and carrier-neutral, allowing other network providers to access the fiber, giving residents the ability to choose their preferred internet provider.
Ottawa County fiber installation will be completed in sections over the next few years. 123NET plans to use both internal and local resources for the project – including West Michigan contractors and 123NET’s ten in-house construction crews.
