Great Lakes Energy
Davey Resource Group collected data on over 13,000 utility poles throughout western Michigan to help Great Lakes Energy complete a joint-use audit that will be used to install third-party broadband.
The Challenge
Great Lakes Energy (GLE) is Michigan's largest member-owned power company, providing energy to over 130,000 meters in 26 counties in the western and northern parts of the state. In June 2022, GLE started receiving joint-use attachment requests from a telecommunications provider that received federal funding to install broadband internet through the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) to ensure and expand access to the latest technology and all the benefits of high-speed internet.
Using these funds, Great Lakes Energy embarked on make-ready engineering projects with the RDOF-funded telecommunications partner. The first step is a joint-use audit, which ensures new communications lines are added to existing utility poles within state and federal regulations without overloading the pole.
To ensure the accuracy of these audits, Great Lakes Energy partnered with Davey Resource Group (DRG) to complete the work needed for the joint-use audits.
The Solution
In April 2023, DRG used Katapult to collect data, check pole load, and ensure the equipment met regulation requirements. Once the data was mapped, DRG’s boots-on-the-ground team corrected potential violations and created cost estimates for the new attachments. The mapped data was then sent to the utility’s construction team to perform the required updates in the field.
Ten DRG employees were dedicated to this project, which examined around 13,500 poles in 10 counties throughout western Michigan. The team completed the work at the end of 2024.
The Results
DRG expertly completed the joint use audits, impressing Great Lakes Energy. Because of DRG’s success in completing their project so efficiently, they have expanded their scope of services with GLE to perform midspan reviews for installing utility-owned fiber lines in conjunction with the cooperative’s fiber-to-the-home project, Truestream.
With growing access to fiber broadband services through Truestream, GLE members can receive faster internet speeds and more reliable service, which connects them with the latest technology and allows them better access to education, healthcare, and economic opportunities.