Grant PUD fiber buildout scheduled for October completion
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 years, 1 month AGO
The Grant County Public Utility District is continuing to expand and upgrade fiber access for county residents.
FILE PHOTO
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | July 18, 2024 1:15 AM
EPHRATA — The buildout of the Grant County Public Utility District fiber network should be complete by late October.
Fiber should arrive in Ruff by late August, and Wilson Creek by early October, according to a report at the July 9 PUD commission meeting. The initial build, which started in about 2008, will be complete with fiber installation in the Sagebrush Flat area and on Johnson Road Northwest, which should be complete by Oct. 31.
Since the fiber network dates back nearly 20 years, crews are also working on maintenance and upgrades of the existing system.
Utility district administrators have set a goal of hooking up 80% of available customers by the end of 2024. That’s called the take rate, and as of early July, it was at 75%.
The take rate ranges from 63% in Grand Coulee to 97% in Desert Aire. It’s 74% in Moses Lake, 75% in Ephrata, 80% in Quincy, 66% in Royal City, 65% in Soap Lake and 84% in Mattawa.
The PUD does not provide direct service to retail customers. Access goes to ISPs, or internet service providers, who then sell to retail customers.
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