From Sound to Foothills – Broadband Update

Fiber installation on the scale of the PUD’s rollout is both a marathon and a sprint.

Fiber broadband buildout is underway in the Quilcene area, and each day PUD line crews install yet another mile of fiber. More than 20 miles of aerial main line fiber has been hung to date. Learn more about the installation process here.

PUD staff have completed construction of a pair of redundant data centers making up the core of our 10 Gig network. Amazing internet from the PUD is now a reality. 

Despite these achievements, connections to the home have been delayed due to federal funding availability and the difficulty of engineering nearly 200 miles of fiber optic cable around the shorelines, islands, farmland, and foothills of the Olympic Mountains.

We are in the homestretch now, with engineering for homes in the Olympic Fiber Corridor (Quilcene to Gardiner) now pivoting to the bidding and contractor selection process in the coming weeks and months. We are working hard to begin connecting some customers in our East Quilcene Pilot Project prior to the New Year. Our Pilot Project allows staff to analyze the installation processes, creating best practices for the future. The majority of fiber connections in the Olympic Fiber Corridor (purple zone on mapping) will not begin until after the New Year and will continue into summer of 2024.

Fiber to the home for thousands of customers is a big challenge. Most connections to the home are underground, as are key connections between aerial fiber installations. Undergrounding is a time consuming process, but the end result is a cleaner, safer (better protected from the elements) network for our customers. 

We apologize for any delays in timelines. Our starting fiber zone is our largest both in sheer physical size and rural population. These factors make ensuring engineering, contracting, and warehousing of equipment a big challenge, leading to delays for future fiber projects downstream. Our staff is working hard on all fronts and we cannot wait to get you connected.

As fiber registrations continue on all fronts, questions arise. Let’s jump into some of those now.

Question: I own an undeveloped lot that I want to build on in the future. Can I register this?

Yes. Even if your parcel does not currently have a designated address you can register for fiber to the site. To make the registration process easier, please reach out to our broadband staff at: broadband@jeffpud.org Please note: Registering for fiber does require an active paying service from the PUD upon completion of construction.

Question: I heard there would be site surveys. When will those take place?

Initial site visits and surveys have been paused as we work to obtain our underground fiber contractors. We will be in touch with customers in the Quilcene to Gardiner area after the New Year with more information about when we’ll be heading back out to do site visits.

Question: What is the yellow “Adjacent” area? 

Yellow areas on fiber mapping cover homes or businesses immediately adjacent to grant funded project areas. Adjacent areas are not grant funded. Customers within these areas are able to have fiber installed by paying a $750 construction cost. The construction fee can be a one-time payment (not required until installation), or spread out with billing over a 3-year period. In most cases, when grant funding was sought by the PUD, homes within Adjacent areas were designated “served” with internet to the home. Being considered “served” often meant a copper wire connection for internet which, unfortunately, removed many homes from eligibility for grant funded projects. Creation of the Adjacent area allows us to offer services to customers by simply offering a relatively low cost for fiber to the home. Fiber construction often costs upwards of $10,000, so we hope a $750 construction charge lowers the barrier for service. Due to specific timelines for grant funded projects, construction timelines for Adjacent areas are not available at this time. However, if you live within an Adjacent area, consider signing up now! We will bring fiber to you as soon as possible!

Learn more about the PUD’s fiber buildout on our FAQ page here: PUD Fiber

LAST BUT NOT LEAST: Be sure to tell any family, friends, or neighbors on the fence to register for PUD fiber ASAP! We are approaching the registration threshold for most grant areas. After the quota for each area is met, it’ll cost $750 per home. Register now online at: fiber.jeffpud.org, or call our customer service team at 360-385-5800 9-4:30 M–F to register over the phone.