Hello, Sokaogon Chippewa Community.

We are pushing hard to the finish line to bring high speed internet access, TV and phone services to the Sokaogon Chippewa Community.  While we still have a few laps to complete, we are getting closer and we tentatively anticipate being able to start with internet installations starting in January / February 2021!  TV and phone will follow as there are equipment shipment delays slowing down that portion of the project. 

Crews remain onsite and are working to get the final drops, cabinet placement and splicing completed.  We are almost there and the Astrea team is very excited to start servicing community members.

What happens after the project is completed?

Once the project is completed, connected tribal properties will have access to Astrea services including unprecedented rural internet speed offering ranging from 50mbps up to 1G that will enable virtual work, healthcare and school.  In addition, with a direct fiber connection to the home, residents will enjoy a dedicated connection experience that ensures speed consistency compared to other types of broadband connections.  Astrea will provide direct sales & support of the services offered to tribal residents.

We know everyone is anxious to receive information on the internet, TV and phone packages & pricing that will be available once the project is completed.  Tribal leaders are in the process of solidifying these details with the Astrea team and more information is anticipated to be announced in the coming weeks.  Stay tuned for announcements coming soon.

Who Is Astrea?

Astrea, a division of CCI Systems, Inc., is headquartered in Iron Mountain, MI and is 100% employee owned.  Astrea helps connect over 60 small communities, throughout Wisconsin & the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to family, healthcare, work, education, and entertainment by providing high-speed internet along with TV and Phone services.   Astrea has worked on prior tribal projects including building a FTTH project for the nearby Forest County Potawatomi tribe.

With nearly all the duct placement completed, vault work is beginning this week. All the vaults have arrived on site and teams will be working on the placements.  After vault placement is complete, fiber placement will begin, followed by several other steps to ensure connectivity for the tribal community. Final project competition dates will be shared in the coming weeks as the project continues to progress, and pending project materials & equipment delivery times are solidified.

What happens after the project is completed?

Once the project is completed, connected tribal properties will have access to Astrea services including unprecedented rural internet speed offering ranging from 50mbps up to 1G that will enable virtual work, healthcare and school. In addition, with a direct fiber connection to the home, residents will enjoy a dedicated connection experience that ensures speed consistency compared to other types of broadband connections. Astrea will provide direct sales & support of the services offered to tribal residents.

We know everyone is anxious to receive information on the internet, TV and phone packages & pricing that will be available once the project is completed. Tribal leaders are in the process of solidifying these details with the Astrea team and more information is anticipated to be announced in the coming weeks. Stay tuned for announcements coming soon.

Who Is Astrea?

Astrea, a division of CCI Systems, Inc., is headquartered in Iron Mountain, MI and is 100% employee owned. Astrea helps connect over 60 small communities, throughout Wisconsin & the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to family, healthcare, work, education, and entertainment by providing high-speed internet along with TV and Phone services.   Astrea has worked on prior tribal projects including building a FTTH project for the nearby Forest County Potawatomi tribe.

With roughly 7.5 miles of duct placements completed, we are 80% completed with the conduit placement portion of the project with the remaining 20% planned to be completed in the next two weeks. The next stage of the project is the placement of 120 vaults along the main fiber route. After vault placement is complete, fiber placement will begin followed by several other steps to ensure connectivity for the tribal community.

A few additional updates/reminders:

Service Line Damage

Following construction work on your property, tribal residents are encouraged to check their existing service lines (internet, phone, propane, etc.) to verify if any issues are present. If lines have been damaged because of the construction work, Cassandra Graikowksi should be notified immediately.  Can she contacted via cell or text message at (715) 522-0757. 

Product Packages & Pricing

We know everyone is anxious to receive information on the internet, TV and phone packages & pricing that will be available once the project is completed. Tribal leaders are in the process of solidifying these details with the Astrea team and more information is anticipated to be announced in the coming weeks. Stay tuned for announcements coming soon.

For additional information on the project and ongoing updates, please visit the dedicated project page at go.astreaconnect.com/scc

The weather is turning colder, snow is flying but the work continues to bring high speed internet to the community. Duct placement continues this week as the team preps the area for fiber placement & drops.  As this work continues a few notes to keep in mind:

SITE RESTORATION

During construction, ground areas that are impacted by construction work, will be leveled, and cleaned. However, restoration (seed / straw) will be placed in the spring as the season of planting grass has passed.

MAINTAIN CLEAR PATHS

With drop placements starting, community members are kindly asked to ensure that there is at least an 8ft work zone area cleared to electric meters from the road. Please remove any obstacles in this area and maintain a clear path for the construction crews. If the path is not cleared, construction crews will try to alert the landowner by knocking on their door with a request to clear the path prior to work beginning. Crews will ensure proper social distancing when making these requests. The crews ask for the community’s cooperation in this effort to keep the construction moving along as quickly as possible.

DO NOT REMOVE CONTRUCTION FLAGS & MARKERS

In addition, as part of the construction process, flags and survey stakes are placed along the route. It is important that these markers remain in place during construction as they guide the placement of the materials needed to complete the project.

SECURE PETS

Finally, if you have a pet, the construction team kindly requests that pets remained leashed or fenced in while construction work is ongoing. This is for the safety of the construction team as well as your pet.

Groundwork continues this week with several crews onsite. Great progress is being made to bring high-speed internet services to the community. As this work continues a few notes to keep in mind:

MAINTAIN CLEAR PATHS

With drop placements starting, community members are kindly asked to ensure that there is at least an 8ft work zone area cleared to electric meters from the road. Please remove any obstacles in this area and maintain a clear path for the construction crews. If the path is not cleared, construction crews will try to alert the landowner by knocking on their door with a request to clear the path prior to work beginning. Crews will ensure proper social distancing when making these requests. The crews ask for the community’s cooperation in this effort to keep the construction moving along as quickly as possible.

DO NOT REMOVE CONTRUCTION FLAGS & MARKERS

In addition, as part of the construction process, flags and survey stakes are placed along the route. It is important that these markers remain in place during construction as they guide the placement of the materials needed to complete the project.

SECURE PETS

Finally, if you have a pet, the construction team kindly requests that pets remained leashed or fenced in while construction work is ongoing. This is for the safety of the construction team as well as your pet.

Duct & conduit placement progress continues within the community. Approximately 30% of duct placement has been completed. Following duct & conduit placement, vault work placement will begin. Survey staking will take place this coming week in anticipation of the vault placements.  

As a reminder, community residents are asked to maintain a safe distance from the construction work and workers throughout the duration of the project. This includes being aware of machinery in use in an area as well as work site safety hazards such as open pits and trenches. It is especially important for parents with children living in the area, to please take the time to educate the children about the dangers of construction sites.

Finally, if you have a pet, the construction team kindly requests that pets remained leashed or fenced in while construction work is ongoing. This is for the safety of the construction team as well as your pet.

Construction crews are onsite placing the duct work as part of the main line construction build.

With permits issued and a tribal ceremony taking place on Monday, September 21^st the project to bring high speed internet to the Sokaogon Chippewa community residents is underway.  The Astrea construction team is coordinating sub-contractor work to begin the main line fiber optic construction work this week.  Work is beginning on the west side of reservation first and will continue through the residential footprint. 

As a reminder, community residents are asked to maintain a safe distance from the construction work and workers throughout the duration of the project.  This includes being aware of machinery in use in an area as well as work site safety hazards such as open pits and trenches.

It is especially important for parents with children living in the area, to please take the time to educate the children about the dangers of construction sites.