9 & 10 News
March 16, 2021
A number of counties have some kind of surcharge which is paid on month phone bills.
But the FCC says some are not using that money properly.
Dispatch centers across Michigan and the country rely on funding from 911 surcharges.
But the FCC says some states aren’t using that money properly and want to narrow the window on what it can be used for.
Grand Traverse County Central Dispatch says that could greatly impact their operation.
“We have several items that we fund through the 911 surcharge in that way. We do fund our radio system, we do fund our infrastructure, we do fund our first responder paging devices in Grand Traverse County, and so those types of funds would be limited, or potentially eliminated as a disallowable expense based on the draft language in this order,” said County 911 Director Jason Torrey.
SOM
Bridge inspections with drone boats an infrastructure Gamechanger
Contact: Dan Weingarten, MDOT Office of Communications, 906-250-4809Agency: Transportation
Fast facts:
The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) recently named the Michigan Department of Transportation s (MDOT) use of unmanned remote-controlled boats for bridge inspection to the group s list of 2021 Infrastructure Gamechangers.
Sonar EMILY is a remote-piloted boat that MDOT has been using to combat bridge scour, the degradation of the streambed around bridge abutments due to water currents.
Unmanned surface vehicles can be much safer and less labor-intensive than traditional bridge inspection methods.
March 15, 2021 It s a big recognition for a little boat. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) recently named the Michigan Department of Transportation s (MDOT) use of unmanned remote-controlled boats for bridge inspection to the group s list of Infrastructure Gamechangers for 2021.