Posts by Zoe

Watersmeet, Phelps, Conover and Land O’ Lakes firefighters and first responders participated in an ice rescue training class, on March 26th, hosted by Midwest Fire Tactics and Training.    The message on Midwest Fire’s Facebook page states:  “What an AWESOME group of students today in Land ‘O Lakes Wisconsin! We had multiple departments represented from Wisconsin and Michigan, and they rocked it. Thank you to everyone who came out on a Sunday to put in work! Everyone crushed it and kept getting back in the water for reps today with a large class. Thank you for your hard work and dedication! Great job today!”

Click on photos to enlarge

Message from Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity:

Everyone in our state can benefit from affordable, reliable high-speed internet service, but more than 30% of Michiganders either don’t have access to, can’t afford, or are missing the skills and technology needed for an internet connection.

We’re getting ready to change that.

Michigan is poised to receive more than $1.6 billion from the federal government to expand high-speed internet service and achieve digital equity. Every region and every community in our state has unique needs when it comes to getting everyone connected. We need input from them all – and that means, we want to hear from you.

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The Watersmeet Township Board of Trustees will conduct a public hearing on Wednesday, March 29, 2023, at 6:30 PM. The hearing will be held at the Township Community Center, located at N4689 1st Street, Watersmeet, MI.

The purpose of the hearing is to review the proposed Fiscal Year 2023-2024 budget and support the Truth-in-Taxation process. The property tax millage rate proposed to be levied to support the proposed budget will be a subject of this hearing. The regular monthly Board of Trustees meeting will be held after the hearing with the budget approval as an agenda item.

Copies of the proposed budget will be available at the Township Offices, also located at N4689 1st Street, after March 23, 2023. Comments on the budget will be accepted at the hearing or can be submitted in writing to Julie Mathiesen, Watersmeet Township Clerk, P.O. Box 306, Watersmeet, MI 49969.

Click Here for Draft Budget

Effective February 1, 2023, the Township office hours will be:

Monday – Friday

9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Closed 11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Watersmeet Fire Department Emergency Response Call Statistics
2022

Visit Highline’s website for addition information (https://highlinefast.com/internet). Highline Internet is also available on Facebook or call them at 888.212.0054.

Gogebic County Transit has issued an updated “Little Blue Bus” schedule which now services Ironwood, Bessemer, Wakefield, Marenisco and Watersmeet.

Click here to view pdf of schedule

For more information visit Gogebic County Transit

Great News!

Last week we sent out a very pessimistic report on the status of fiber optic internet for Watersmeet Township.  We had not received any updates from Highline in quite some time and we anticipated the worst.

Well, all that changed on Friday, September 16, 2022.

On Friday, the Watersmeet Broadband Task Force had a virtual meeting with Bruce Moore, Highline CEO.  Bruce let us know right away that Watersmeet is DEFINITELY getting Fiber Optic Broadband in 2023!!  The crews will begin laying the fiber optic in the ground in June 2023.  They expect to have the first of three rounds laid by August 2023.

Currently, 40% of Watersmeet households (347 homes) paid the $25 deposit and signed up for Highline.  One of the main reasons we are getting fiber optic before the rest of the western UP is because of the high percentage of households that already signed up!

What Does this Mean?

Fiber optic internet is considered the gold standard of internet.  It is very reliable, fast and not affected by weather.  Here are some of the specifics:

• Speeds to be up to 1 gigabyte per second download and up to 500 megabytes per second upload
• No data caps
• Set-up fee of approximately $99
• Service pricing to be around $99/month which includes a modem/router
• $29/month additional for a digital phone line may also be available

What Can You Do to help?

Improving internet service to all of Watersmeet has been an important issue for many years.  It is vital to our economic growth.  Highline and the Watersmeet Task Force is asking every Michigan property owner to go to the HighlineFast web page, click on “Sign Up” and enter your property address. If your address does not appear in the drop-down list, it may help to leave off the leading letter in your address. For example: 3928 instead of N3928.  (If it still does not appear, select an address closest to you and you can correct the information when Highline contacts you). By entering your address, you are letting Highline know you are interested in their service. It is not a commitment to subscribe to their service.  You do not need to enter any credit card information.

After signing up, you may be contacted by Highline to confirm your address and/or to request a $25 deposit (which will be deducted from the $99 set-up fee) to confirm your commitment in installing internet service. This deposit assures service and may also prioritize installation.  Installation fees this low are likely predicated on scheduling the installation crew and fiber optic runs to the homes for these advanced service commitments for the initial service offering.  It is expensive to deploy/bury fiber optic cable, installation costs would likely increase once crews leave our area.  Highline has an aggressive deployment schedule across the UP.

*It is possible that not ALL residences/businesses in the Watersmeet Township are included in the RDOF auction results area.  That is why it is SO IMPORTANT for all residents to sign up on the Highline web site.  Highline has indicated that if enough residents in these areas sign-up for interest they may be able to include service to these “edge areas” during the initial installation phase.  The only way they will know that you are interested is for you to SIGN UP!

Visit Highline’s website for addition information (https://highlinefast.com/internet). Highline Internet is also available on Facebook or call them at 888.212.0054.

Private Roads

If you live on a private road – an easement will likely be necessary.  This is a legal document that gives Highline permission to lay the fiber underground on your private road.  This will be similar to the utility easements already on file for your property.  Please look out for any mailers concerning these easements.

More Info to Follow

In the next few weeks, we should be able to share with all of you the listing of Township roads for each wave of fiber optic installation!

We will be updating the Township website regularly with progress reports and news concerning Highline.  Please spread the word to your neighbors to sign up for the Township updates to be sure to hear all the latest fiber optic news!

As the situation develops with Highline, your Task Force will post updates as appropriate.  Should you have any questions, please contact Trustee Yvonne Clark at trustee1@watersmeetmi.gov.

Thank you,

Watersmeet Broadband Task Force
Bob McGuffin
John Oliver
Greg Clark
Yvonne Clark, Trustee

Background

In 2020, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) auctioned off large parts of rural America in a program called the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF). This program sought to subsidize the buildout costs for high-speed internet in areas of the country that would otherwise be cost-prohibitive for an internet provider to bring service.  In December 2020, the FCC announced that a company, that would be later known as Highline, won the auction for Watersmeet Township. Under the terms of the RDOF auction, winning providers have 6 years to complete the buildout in the areas they were awarded.  Highline pledged to run fiber optic lines underground to a large part of Watersmeet Township.

Soon after this announcement, the Watersmeet Township Broadband Task Force sought to engage Highline in an effort to move Watersmeet Township to the front of the buildout schedule. In 2021, it appeared that goal was achieved as the Task Force was informed that Watersmeet would be built out in 2022. This exciting news was communicated to the Watersmeet Township residents through various means including the Township website.

Following Highline’s announcement, many Watersmeet Township residents signed up for Highline’s fiber optic service and paid a $25 deposit.

Current Status

As 2021 turned into 2022, it became evident through the lack of permitting with the Gogebic County Road Commission, that the promise of a 2022 buildout was in jeopardy. The Task Force requested an update from Highline during the 2/16/2022 Watersmeet Township Trustees Regular Meeting. Highline CEO Bruce Moore confirmed that our promised 2022 buildout had been pushed to 2023. The link to the minutes of that meeting is here.

Since the February 2022 board meeting, the Task Force sought to secure Highline’s commitment for a 2023 Watersmeet buildout.  To date, we have been unsuccessful. The Task Force also sought to secure a commitment from Highline for ANY buildout timeline within the 6-year requirement window which spans from 2022-2028. We have been unsuccessful. The Task Force asked Highline to provide those that submitted deposits with an update and an avenue to obtain a refund if desired. As of this writing, we are unaware of any communication from Highline to our residents.

At present, our position is that Watersmeet Township will be built out and receive fiber optic internet service some time before the end of 2028, but we don’t know when.

Present Internet Alternatives

For those that still seek highspeed internet without caps, we know of two alternatives-

Northern Michigan University (NMU) provides a cellular based internet service with speeds up to 25 megabits per second (MBPS) with no data caps. The web address for their service is here: NMU EAN.  The requirement for their service is good line-of-sight from where their transmitter is on their cell tower to wherever you would site their receiver on your property.    A sub-optimal line-of-sight will lower your internet speeds.  Currently NMU transmitters are located by Roger’s Bar and in downtown Watersmeet.  NMU can assist you in determining the viability of their service at your property.  NMU provides modest speeds but at a reasonable monthly rate (approximately $40 per month).

Starlink is another alternative for high-speed internet. Their satellite-based internet has been available to consumers for over a year. On the Cisco Chain, download speeds have been observed varying between 30-200 MBPS. As more satellites are launched (at present there are approximately 1,400 satellites in use) speeds should continue to increase. A requirement for Starlink is an unobstructed view of the northern sky. The Starlink app for your phone can determine if a site is appropriate. It is a system designed to be self-installed. Starlink can be ordered here. While slightly pricy ($599 equipment cost and $110/month for service) it has proven to be very fast and reliable.

As the situation develops with Highline, your Task Force will post updates as appropriate.  Should you have any questions, please contact Trustee Yvonne Clark at trustee1@watersmeetmi.gov.

Thank you,

Watersmeet Broadband Task Force
Bob McGuffin
John Oliver
Greg Clark
Yvonne Clark, Trustee