Melanie Bell, of the Chelsea District Library, has been selected for the 2014 Connect Michigan Broadband Hero Award. Bell will be recognized by Connect Michigan at this year’s 2014 Michigan Broadband Conference <http://t.signauxtrois.com/e1t/c/5/f18dQhb0S7lC8dDMPbW2n0x6l2B9nMJW7t5XZs8pTd2PN5w6qJCRs1VsW1p7Y5W56dzg5f7Q6DWx02?t=http%3a%2f%2fwww.connectmi.org%2fbroadband-summit&si=5704799858196480&pi=b1060bd726ed44cdb8e249a25e4ef112>, to take place October 29th at the Radisson Hotel in downtown Lansing, Michigan. The conference is expected to be attended by more than 300 participants including community leaders from economic development, state and local government, education, libraries, healthcare, and technology to discuss best practices for expanding broadband and technology access, adoption, and use to revitalize Michigan’s economy. The Michigan Broadband Hero Award recognizes individuals, organizations, and companies working diligently to expand broadband and technology access, adoption, and use throughout the Great Lakes State. Bell, the library’s network administrator, has been instrumental in leading an effort with local township supervisors, libraries, schools, and other key representatives of townships in Western Washtenaw County to launch a common initiative to improve the availability of broadband (high speed Internet) service throughout the community. Sponsored by Rep. Gretchen Driskell, the group has been meeting since November 2012 and partnering with Connect Michigan to develop and execute a plan to bring better broadband service to residents, public institutions and local businesses. According to Bill Harmer, Director of the Chelsea District Library, “Melanie has been a leader in this effort from day one. She has served as co-chair of the group and was instrumental in gathering and tabulating data from thousands of area residents about the current availability and use of broadband service across Western Washtenaw County.” The group that Bell leads has also met to establish general guidelines for possible new towers and antennas including placement, construction, and modification of antenna support structures, towers and telecommunication facilities used in support of Internet services, personal wireless services, and other communications. In addition, Bell has been working to address more immediate needs to expand Internet access to the public. One of the projects the library is exploring is distributing Wi-Fi hotspots to key locations within its service area so that the public may use them to access both the Internet and its online resources. The Library has plans this fall to use the Lyndon Township Hall as a pilot to test out this new service. Specifically they are looking to setup a Wi-Fi hotspot on the premises of Lyndon Township Hall. Recently, Bell joined the steering committee for BroadbandNow, a newly formed organization that works with local communities and Connect Michigan to enable high speed Internet connectivity for unserved and underserved regions of Michigan through a community-controlled open-access network. According to Harmer, “providing equal access to information and resources is fundamental to the mission of the Chelsea District Library. Access to information empowers the community to learn new skills, explore new ideas, find employment, discover new business opportunities, and contribute to the community. With the *rural areas* of our service district poorly served by high-speed *broadband*, the library faces a considerable challenge in providing service to our patrons there.” *About Connect Michigan:* As the designated entity for broadband mapping and planning in the state of Michigan, Connect Michigan is a public-private partnership between the Michigan Public Service Commission and Connected Nation to work with local governments, businesses, and citizens in the goal of increasing broadband service in the state’s underserved areas. For more information about what Connect Michigan is doing to accelerate technology in Michigan’s communities, visit www.connectmi.org.