EPHRATA — Grant County PUD is talking of cutting its fiber-optic program in half as part of budget reductions next year.

Grant PUD Customer Service Manager Tony Webb recommended Thursday to remove $5 million from the wholesale fiber program and move the spending to 2013.

It was originally planned that $10 million would be spent in 2010, but the cost was deferred, said Sarah Morford, a utility spokesperson.

Next year, if the budget is approved as proposed, the fiber buildout will occur in Soap Lake, but not in Moses Lake, she said.

Soap Lake can be completed because it’s a smaller area, so it will cost less than doing the work in Moses Lake, Morford explained.

Grant PUD General Manager Tim Culbertson said when they looked at programs, they didn’t think it was appropriate to leave fiber untouched.

Commissioner Tom Flint said the driving factor in the reduction is the cost of rehabilitating the PUD’s dams.

He said people are talking to him, asking where the PUD is getting fiber.

Grant PUD Hydro Director Dawn Woodward said employees commented about work at hydro being deferred when the fiber program started.

Commissioner Greg Hansen said there are more important things that come before fiber.