About Our Project:

Public school students in the 7th through 12th grades in the Eastern Upper Peninsula region of Michigan lack reliable access to high-speed Internet at their schools. The Eastern UP Intermediate School District proposes to increase subscribership in the Eastern Upper Peninsula region by providing 3,500 computers with supporting software to economically disadvantaged students in Chippewa, Luce, and Mackinac Counties. Under the project, qualified families would receive vouchers for discounted broadband access through local broadband provider Lighthouse after participating in a workforce and computer training program delivered in partnership with the Tri-County Economic Development Agency and Michigan WORKS! .

This project is funded through a two-year grant of$3,165,207 from the U.S Department of Commerce’s Broadband Technology Opportunities Program.

The project aims to foster more advanced and robust use of technology by demonstrating the educational value of computers in the home, while communicating to parents and other community members the value of using broadband to support health, finances, and occupational training.

Our Mission:

The Sparking Broadband Use project also proposes to:

• Provide computer skills and broadband training to as many as 10,000 residents over the life of the project, offering approximately 43,000 annual training hours focusing on online connectivity, career building, government services, and education.
• Complement BTOP infrastructure awards to fellow Michigan entity Merit Network to expand and enhance access, infrastructure, and adoption in the Upper Peninsula.

 Project Partners:

• Lighthouse
• Tri-County Economic Development Agency
• Michigan WORKS! 

Contact: 

Tracy McCord

EASTERN U P INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL DISTRICT

315 ARMORY PL

SAULT SAINTE MARIE, MI 49783-2005

906-632-3373

tmccord@eup.k12.mi.us