PORT ANGELES — A project to install fiber optic cable along 15 miles of state Highway 112 that is currently underway will enable residents in an underserved area of Clallam County to gain access to reliable high-speed internet once it is completed in late 2026.
Clallam County and Astound are partnering on the project with assistance from Clallam County PUD to connect Astound’s existing fiber network near Laird’s Corner to almost 100 miles of new above ground and underground infrastructure that will reach more than 1,500 homes in the Highway 112 corridor.
The $22 million project is supported by $16 million in American Rescue Project Act (ARPA) funds, a $4.5 million grant from the state Department of Commerce Public Works Board Broadband Program and $1.7 million from the county.
The project is part of a larger, long-term effort to expand internet access in rural Clallam County that began in 2019, said Steve Gray, deputy director of Clallam County Public Works.
A survey conducted as part of a 2020 county feasibility study on internet access found that the leading complaint of residents was their internet was “too slow” (87 percent) followed by “unreliable” (57 percent). Of those who did not have internet access, 67 percent said it was because it was not available in their area.
“This will meet the Federal Communication Commission’s minimum internet speeds of 100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload,” Gray said.
Once completed, it will be able to deliver up to 5 gigabits per second — or 1,000 Mbps.
While there are other internet service providers in the area, most deliver speeds at 25 Mbps (megabits per second) — sufficient for email and web browsing, but too slow for households with several users to download and share files, online gaming and streaming high-definition video.
Fiber optic service has the potential to make those activities possible. It also will be more reliable and affordable than satellite internet provider Starlink, Gray said.
“This is primarily for residential, but it will also help people working from home and businesses,” he said.
The network is being installed from east to west along Highway 112, with branches delivering service to side roads that households can access for Astound service.
The PUD provided the county with technical expertise to assist it in moving the project forward, said Shawn Delplain, its IT and broadband manager.
The fiber optic cable will be strung on PUD power poles. The utility district will continue to maintain and repair the poles and power lines, Delplain said. Astound will be responsible for maintenance and repair of the cable.
North Sky Communications of Kent is the contractor on the project.
“We would not be doing this without the partnership with Clallam County and the PUD,” said Jared Sonne, Astound’s broadband senior vice president and general manager for the west region.
Funding support made the project possible, he said.
“If we were doing this on our own, it would be cost-prohibitive,” Sonne said.
When Astound self-funds network extensions, its costs run about $700-$800 to $1,000 per household and rarely more than $1,500.
The Clallam County project will cost $15,000 per existing household.
“That’s one of the reasons why nobody has built out there,” Sonne said.
Astound anticipates adding two full-time technicians and a retail position to its current operations in Port Angeles when service starts, Sonne said. After 20 years, the company will have the opportunity to acquire the network.
Astound is applying for a federal National Telecommunications and Information Administration Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program grant that would support extending high-speed fiber optic cable service past the current project’s terminus in Joyce to West End communities.
Information about the project can be found at www.astound.com/clallam.
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Reporter Paula Hunt can be reached by email at paula.hunt@peninsuladailynews.com.
