On June 22, 2011, the Pend Oreille County Public Utility District (PUD) held a ribbon-cutting event to celebrate the start of construction on its broadband infrastructure project. The event had an estimated 120 to 140 people in attendance, including representatives from the offices of local, state, and U.S. elected officials, PUD staff, and other members of the community. Several speakers, including PUD leaders and a representative from the governor’s office, delivered remarks about the benefits of broadband and thanked the community and supporters of the project.

The PUD project plans to bring affordable broadband access to unserved and underserved rural areas of the county in northeastern Washington State. Construction began south of Newport along U.S. Route 2, with fiber lines that will be part of a 565-mile network. As of early October 2011, nearly 100 miles had been deployed. When complete, this new network will increase reliability and upgrade broadband speeds to 3,200 households, 360 businesses, and 24 community anchor institutions.

Additionally, PUD used BTOP funds to hire construction crews with 35 total workers, and hired eight staff members, including five contractors as managers and inspectors.

Last Updated: December 7, 2011