The Truestream Internet and voice tech company associated with Great Lakes Energy, plans to build a mainline fiber infrastructure in Wayland Township and environs.

A spokesperson said, “Our mainline fiber network will pass through state and federal forest land in our Newaygo and Wayland service areas,” however, “we have encountered some challenges around protected outdoor spaces that must be addressed before we can continue our construction plans.”

The company planned to begin construction of the fiver infrastructure this fall, but now has been delayed until early next year.

“Before we can pass through the forest areas, we need to obtain the necessary state and federal permits,” the spokesperson said. “Permitting is a normal part of our construction process, but due to some process changes at the state and federal level, these permits are taking longer than anticipated to acquire.

“To that end, we must postpone construction to the Newaygo service area and the Middleville area in Wayland until 2022. In-home installation in the delayed areas will occur in mid-to-late 2022 and into 2023.

“We will continue to construct our Truestream fiber network in our Hart service area, primarily Oceana County, and in a small portion of the Wayland service area in Allegan County.

“This is not the great news we had hoped to be sharing with you, but it is the reality, and our goal is to be transparent through this whole process. Rest assured we are still planning to bring Truestream to your area after we receive the required permits.

We apologize for the delay and understand you may be disappointed – we feel it, too.”