NEWS AND EVENTS
Celebrating Apprentice Lineworker JMAP Graduation
The Joint Michigan Apprentice Program (JMAP) recently celebrated its first class of apprentices to become journeymen electrical lineworkers. The inaugural class celebrated the graduation of 18 apprentice linemen from 13 Michigan utilities that collectively span...
read morePortage CommuniTEEN Read: Building Bonds Through Books
The Portage community came together on a March evening to build a love of reading through the third annual Portage CommuniTEEN Read, a common read program developed by Portage Central and Northern High Schools along with the Portage District Library and Bookbug...
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Strengthening School Grant Applications Available
Midwest Energy & Communications (MEC) is now accepting applications for the 2018-19 Strengthening Schools Grant program. In January, 21 grants totaling $30,000 were awarded to 18 public schools across the co-op service territory. Grants are funded through MEC’s...
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Introducing Distribution Automation
Several years ago, the MEC board committed to a major investment in our southwest Michigan electric distribution grid, incorporating a robust, two-way fiber communications infrastructure for both utility and member benefit. Our goal was to make our already smart grid...
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Fiber Internet Open Houses
Join us in Cass at one of our upcoming fiber internet open houses to learn about our gold-standard service. We will host these events from 4 to 7 p.m. on the third Thursday of every month throughout the summer: LEARN how FIBER internet is different from...
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April 2018 Fiber Internet Construction Update
“Having this service installed was like going from the Middle Ages of Internet to the Present instantly! I am now able to do all of the things I only wished I could do before. I am really happy about getting connected to this marvelous technology. Thank you MEC!”...
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Another Propane Heating Season for the Records
Today is a snow-globe kind of day. The snow is gently falling to the ground, creating a beautiful view from my second story window. I was mesmerized by the scene, then jolted back to reality as a huge transport truck drove through the gate and pulled up to our three...
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Hance Speaks on Rural Broadband at USDA Summit
Robert Hance, president/CEO of Midwest Energy & Communications, addressed the role of rural electric cooperatives as a change agent in bridging the rural digital divide today during the 94th Annual USDA Agricultural Outlook Forum in Arlington, VA. Hance was a panelist...
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February 2018 Fiber Internet Construction Update
January was a busy month in our “crowd” as we received 378 new expressions of interest. A growing number of those expressions is coming from what we call “Remote” backers, or those who are not served electrically by MEC. We’ve earned quite a reputation well beyond our...
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No Barriers for One Local Veteran
The CoBank No Barriers program helps disabled veterans overcome physical and emotional obstacles through curriculum-based wilderness expeditions. Last year, CoBank sponsored 50 veterans and one of those vets was MEC member Jesse Smith. We recently sat down with him to...
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