At most of these locations, there is a low level of usage from other
organizations. You should review your organization's authorization
statistics to learn if your users may be affected; see www.merit.edu/mn/resources/statistics/dialin/.
Please inform your user community of these changes if you have users who
will be affected. If your organization has a special interest in
continuing to support users at any of these locations, please contact your
support team at Merit as
soon as possible to discuss purchasing dial-in lines.
Recent local calling area expansions make it possible for users in these
locations to call other Merit access numbers, meaning that we can
decommission these numbers without losing service area.
Users in the Addison phone exchange can now make a local call to Merit's
access numbers in Adrian (517-265-6689) and Hudson (517-448-2087).
Users in the Mesick phone exchange can now make a local call to Merit's
access number in Cadillac (231-779-0683).
Users in other phone exchanges local to Addison and Mesick may also have
relied on the numbers that are going out of service. We believe in all
cases those exchanges are also within a local call of another Merit
dial-in access number. To find the local dial-in number for any location
in Michigan, please use our search tool at http://www.merit.edu/cgi-bin/db/dialaccess.pl.
If your organization has dial-in users in these areas, please inform them
of this change.
MichNet Sand Creek Dial-in Number Discontinued
July 2, 2004 —
Due to circumstances beyond our control, the MichNet dial-in location in
Sand Creek (517-436-3266), has gone out of service effective immediately.
Service at this number will not be resumed.
Users who reside in the Sand Creek exchange proper (517-436) are now able
to call the MichNet number in Adrian (517-265-6689) as a local call. Such
users may migrate to that number and should see no interruption in
service.
The Sand Creek number was also reachable from the Adrian, Morenci, and
Ogden Center exchanges; each of these exchanges can reach other MichNet
numbers with a local call. Users should be directed to Merit's lookup tool
to find their appropriate local number: see http://www.merit.edu/cgi-bin/db/dialaccess.pl.
There is no local alternative number for users in the Clayton exchange
(517-445). We regret the sudden loss of service for this exchange.
If you have any questions or need
assistance, please contact your Merit
Support Team at http://www.merit.edu/mn/support/.
— Andy Rosenzweig, Merit
Transition for GreaterDetroit Dial-in Location
February 16, 2004 —
Over the next three weeks, Merit will transition the MichNet
GreaterDetroit dial-in location to a new phone service provider. The
GreaterDetroit location has seven access numbers covering a large portion
of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb Counties.
We expect that this transition will be invisible to users. The current
access numbers will be ported to the new carrier, so users will not need
to
make any change in their dialing software. Identical access equipment will
be used at the new location, so there should be no modem compatibility
issues.
In some cases in the early days of such a transition, issues arise
involving capacity in the phone networks. Merit and the new carrier have
taken every precaution against such problems, but organizations should be
prepared in case of any disruption related to the change, which could
include the following:
- A "fast busy signal"--the standard busy signal tone, at
twice its usual speed
- An intercept message, in the form of a recorded message
saying "all circuits are busy" or "your call cannot be
completed as dialed."
- Dead air--no response at all after dialing.
These results are evidence of a phone network problem and should be
reported to the Merit NOC with as much call information as possible.
Reports should include the numbers called from and called to, time and
date of call, and a detailed description of the problem that was
encountered.
The GreaterDetroit access numbers will ported according to the following
schedule:
586-784-0133 (Armada) March 2
313-586-7800 (DetroitZone6) March 4
248-522-7800 (Farmington) March 4
586-723-7800 (Mt. Clemens) March 9
248-232-7800 (Pontiac) March 10
586-894-7800 (Romeo) March 11
586-693-7800 (Warren) March 16
MichNet Upper Peninsula Dial-In Numbers to Change
January 19, 2004 —
The access numbers that reach the MichNet Upper Peninsula dial-in location
will go out of service as of January 31, 2004. Replacement numbers are
available now, and organizations that use MichNet dial-in services should
inform their users of this change.
The following table lists the 21 access numbers that currently serve the
Upper Peninsula dial-in location, paired with the new numbers that replace
them:
Exchange name OLD NUMBER NEW NUMBER
------------- ------------ ------------
Bergland 906-575-1035 906-213-3120
Big Bay 906-345-9496 906-315-3120 (Marquette)
Brevort 906-292-5522 906-328-3120 (St. Ignace)
Curtis 906-586-3257 906-215-3120
Engadine 906-477-8096 906-218-3120
Escanaba 906-789-2034 906-217-3120
Iron Mountain 906-776-1202 906-302-3120
Iron River 906-265-4810 906-308-3120
Ironwood 906-932-9914 906-307-3120
Keweenaw 906-289-1045 906-312-3120
Mackinac Island 906-847-0083 906-234-3120
Marquette 906-226-3891 906-315-3120
Menominee 906-863-1002 906-317-3120
Michigamme 906-323-1001 906-676-3120
Newberry 906-293-2982 906-321-3120
Powers 906-497-4081 906-324-3120
Rock 906-356-6691 906-325-3120
Sault Ste. Marie 906-635-1533 906-327-3120
St. Ignace 906-643-0077 906-328-3120
Trout Lake 906-569-0013 906-743-3120
Watersmeet 906-358-9879 906-329-3120
This change does not affect access numbers in the UP that are
not part of the consolidated Upper Peninsula location; numbers are
unchanged for Carney, Cedarville, Houghton, L'Anse, Manistique, Munising,
Ontonagon, Rudyard, Stephenson, and Watson.
We recently learned that the provider of the telephone services for the
UpperPeninsula location has reorganized and is unable to continue these
services. We apologize for the unavoidable short notice. Fortunately, we
have been able to secure a long-term solution that will provide excellent
service in the UP, as well as a short-term solution to serve during a brief
transition.
For the next few weeks the replacement numbers listed above will be served
by a third-party dial-in provider in the UP. During this transition period,
normal MichNet dial-in access policy rules cannot be enforced; any caller
that can authenticate as a legitimate dial-in user will be connected,
regardless of token availability or overall usage from individual
organizations. This creates the possibility of overuse, so during this
transition period all dial-in sessions will be limited to a maximum of two
hours.
As soon as possible, these same access numbers will be moved to another
phone company and served by modems operated directly by Merit. At that
time, normal MichNet dial-in policies will be reapplied, and the 2-hour
time limit will be removed.
To repeat, users should begin using the replacement numbers immediately.
The old numbers are scheduled to go out of service any time after January
31. There is some possibility that they will continue to work following
that date, but service on the old numbers cannot be guaranteed after
January 31.
We urge you to publicize this change to your dial-in user community as soon
as possible, and to make it known that they should switch their local
access number by January 31.
Users who need to verify their correct local access number should use
Merit's Dialaccess Searchbase, which determines the MichNet access
number(s) that are local to a given phone number. The Searchbase is
available at http://www.merit.edu/cgi-bin/db/dialaccess-new.pl.
We appreciate your assistance in publicizing this change. Any serious
access problems related to the new Upper Peninsula numbers should be
reported to the Merit Network Operations Center (NOC).
If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact your Merit
Support Team at http://www.merit.edu/mn/support/.
— Andy Rosenzweig, Merit
There has been a very low level of usage at this site from other
organizations. You may wish to review your organization's authorization
statistics to learn if your users will be affected:
At most of these locations, there is a low level of usage from other
organizations. You should review your organization's authorization
statistics to learn if your users may be affected: http://www.merit.edu/michnet/statistics/dialin/
Please inform your user community of these changes if you have users
who will be affected.
Users who currently call the Tekonsha number likely have phone numbers within the
Tekonsha exchange (517-767-xxxx). These users are now a local call from the MichNet
dial-in number in Coldwater, 517-279-7694, and should begin calling that number by March
31.
Users who currently call the Petersburg number likely have phone numbers within the
Petersburg exchange (734-220-xxxx, 734-279-xxxx, 734-746-xxxx) or the Deerfield exchange
(517-446-xxxx, 517-447-xxxx). These users are now a local call from several MichNet
dial-in numbers in surrounding phone exchanges. We recommend that callers in Petersburg
and Deerfield call either of the two following numbers, both of which reach the MichNet
SSE-Michigan dial-in location:
Depending on the originating phone number, there may be other MichNet numbers that are
a
local call for any particular user. The best tool for determining local numbers is the
MichNet dial-In numbers searchbase, at: http://www.mi-twp.org/cgi-bin/dialaccess.pl
That tool can be used to determine the local MichNet dial-in number for any area
code/prefix combination in Michigan.
Please inform your user community of this change, particularly if you have users who
are
in the vicinity of Petersburg or Tekonsha. In recent months, the following realms have
made use of these dial-in locations:
If you have questions about this change, please contact your support team at Merit.
This change affects any users who have been calling the Memphis number, which has been part of
the Thumb-Area huntgroup. Dial-in users who have called the Memphis number must change to dialing
a different number, depending on where they are calling from.
Following is a list of the telephone exchanges that are a local call to Memphis, and the
MichNet dial-in numbers that now serve each exchange.
(* The Emmet number, 810-384-6329, is a small dial-in location that has been added to serve
just the Emmett exchange. Some other exchanges listed above can call the Emmett number as a local
call, but it is highly recommended that people outside of Emmett use other numbers.)
The best resource for users in determining their local MichNet dial-in number is the MichNet
Dial-In Numbers Searchbase, which returns the local number for any area code/prefix combination in
Michigan. The Searchbase is available at:
As of this change, the Thumb-Area huntgroup will cease to exist. Its access numbers have been
absorbed into the GreaterDetroit and SE-Michigan huntgroups or made obsolete by expanded local
calling areas. Organizations that previously owned lines at the Thumb-Area huntgroup now have
lines at other locations, as previously arranged.
If you have questions about this transition, please contact your support team at Merit.
We ask your assistance in communicating this change to your user community.
The old Grand Rapids number (616-224-7020) will remain in service until the end of October, but
the number of lines available will be greatly reduced over time. We expect that users will
experience the best service by transitioning quickly to the new number.
Merit has agreed to provide MTA and its 1,242 member Townships with a broad range of services,
including Web hosting, e-mail, domain name service, dial-in access, and dedicated high-speed
Internet connections. The flexible, statewide contract will enable even the smallest Michigan
Townships to obtain quality, affordable Internet services from Michigan's leading Internet
provider.
"MTA is excited about the opportunities this new venture creates for Michigan's Townships," said
MTA Executive Directory Larry Merrill. "We view the Internet as an excellent vehicle for Townships
to better communicate with their communities."
Merit Network, Inc. provides Internet connectivity to all 13 of Michigan's publicly-funded
universities and to many of Michigan's community colleges, K-12 schools, libraries, state agencies,
and cultural organizations. Through these organizations, Merit serves almost a million people in
Michigan every day.
"Working with the MTA fits perfectly with Merit's mission to promote computer networking in
Michigan," said Scott Gerstenberger, who runs MichNet, Merit's statewide network. "Michigan citizens
will gain access to a broad array of information from each participating Township."
Coe Township Trustee Jim Bush is excited about what this means to his community. "I prepared our
Township website as soon as I learned of the Merit contract," said Bush. "We can now afford a
Township website and e-mail accounts for each of our board members. We will be the first Michigan
Township of our size to create a web presence." Coe Township is located near Mount Pleasant, and its
population is only 2,993. The new Coe Township website contains valuable community information such
as how to reach Township board members, the treasurer's hours, and cemetery bylaws.
The MTA expects that 150 Townships will participate with Merit during the contract's first
year.
Merit develops and promotes advanced Internet services for research and education. Merit's
regional network in Michigan connects universities, community colleges, K-12 schools, libraries,
state agencies, and cultural organizations.
Merit's engineering staff has earned international acclaim for its work. From 1987 to 1995, Merit
developed and managed the NSFNET, the national network that was the precursor to today's commercial
Internet. Merit currently provides Internet2 access for organizations in Michigan and also develops
tools and applications for online learning, including the Michigan Teacher Network (mtn.merit.edu)
and Teach for Tomorrow (tft.merit.edu).
Among Merit's contributions to Michigan's economic development are three spinoff companies:
Advanced
Network & Services; NextHop Technologies, Inc.; and Interlink Networks, Inc. Merit was founded
in 1966 and is headquartered in Ann Arbor, MI.
The Michigan Townships Association (MTA) is a non-profit organization formed in 1953 to provide a
unified voice for Michigan's Township governments. The association represents over 99% of Michigan's
Townships, ranging in size from a population of 15 (Point Aux Barques) to a population of 85,866
(Clinton Charter).
Michigan's 1,242 Townships govern the vast majority of Michigan's land area and serve over
forty-five percent of Michigan's residents. Each Township government ensures that the community's
health and safety needs are adequately addressed. Townships also balance private property rights
with commercial interests through land use decisions.
The MTA provides information on all facets of Township operations and responds to all requests
for information from Township officials by forwarding appropriate materials, researching questions,
sending written letters or answering telephone queries. Upon request, members are also assisted
through office consultations, written legal opinions and phone calls with MTA attorneys.
