Lincoln County Courthouse 450 Logan St (PO Box 28,) Davenport WA 99122-0028 – 3rd Floor
(509) 215-7837
Margie Hall, Director / mhall@co.lincoln.wa.us
LINCOLN COUNTY BROADBAND PROJECT UPDATE (10-7-24)
Lincoln County is building direct fiber networks in the county’s eight municipalities plus two unincorporated communities. These networks will offer home and business owners the opportunity to receive a direct fiber connection to their buildings. Direct fiber delivers significantly faster, more reliable, and more secure internet access than most Lincoln County residents have ever experienced – access that is typically found only in select urban areas.
The networks are “open access” meaning the county owns the network but does not provide internet service. The county leases the network fiber to internet service providers who provide property owners with retail services. Property owners choose who they want for an ISP, just as they always have.
Here is an update on network construction:
Phase 2: This phase constructs networks in Wilbur and Davenport and builds a fiber backbone from Harrington to Sprague. The big news for this phase is that the network in Wilbur is expected to launch by the end of October. Aerial crews will now transition to Davenport to begin their work. The goal is to have Davenport live by early 2025.
Phase 3: The third phase will see networks built in Odessa, Reardan and Sprague and will be our focus as we enter the new year. There will also be fiber backbone built between Creston and Hawk Creek Road. We are already out to bid for project materials and the broadband office is working with their project consultant on the construction RFP. Reardan’s permitting is complete. Odessa and Sprague still have some permits pending.
Phase 4: The fourth phase will take fiber from Hawk Creek Road north to the Deer Meadows and Seven Bays communities. We plan to procure professional services before the end of this year. Like the other three phases, this project will bring fiber directly to homes and businesses.
Within our municipalities, the linemen working on Avista power poles have approved permits from Avista to access their poles. Please know that they will be respectful of your property, and we ask that you be respectful of them. If you do have issues, please contact the broadband office at lcbroadband@co.lincoln.wa.us or 509-215-7837.
See the Frequently Asked Questions below to learn more about fiber to the home and business.
All of the funders listed above are housed within the Washington Department of Commerce in Olympia.
ISPs ON NETWORK In alphabetical order:
FAQs about Lincoln County Broadband
WHO IS PROVIDING INTERNET SERVICE ON THE NETWORK?
We are often asked “Will the county be the internet provider?” Lincoln County will not be a provider. Lincoln County’s objective is to build the network and make it available to providers who are unlikely to invest in direct fiber if they had to do it on their own. It is simply too expensive. This grant-funded construction project removes that financial barrier. Residents will continue to select their own service provider, just like they always have, and internet providers will continue to do their own marketing and set their own prices, just like they always have.
TERMS TO KNOW
Broadband: Technologies that provide high-speed internet access.
Fiber-Optic: A system that uses glass or plastic to carry light to transmit information.
Middle Mile: In our case, the infrastructure that extends access from a community with fiber to one without.
Last Mile: The connection between the local network & your home or business.
Open Access: A network that is open to independent ISPs.
WHAT IS FIBER TO THE HOME OR PREMISE?
Fiber to the home (FTTH) or premise (FTTP) is the installation of fiber optic cable from a provider’s network directly to a subscriber’s individual building. It provides a direct connection to the internet and delivers fast download and upload speeds. It is also less likely to experience interruptions or slowdowns.
WHY IS SOME FIBER AERIAL AND SOME FIBER UNDERGROUND?
Whenever possible, fiber is being attached to existing utility poles. Where there are no poles, fiber must be buried underground and this work is being completed first. All underground fiber is complete in Almira and crews are now working on poles. Underground has started in Creston and is anticipated to start in Harrington the week of July 24.
WHY ARE WE BUILDING THESE NETWORKS?
Every year the need for robust internet grows and those without it fall farther behind. This new county owned network is bringing vital future-proof broadband infrastructure into our communities. The county is committed to the success of the network and its ability to bring new opportunities to Lincoln County’s citizens. Construction going on now in Almira and Harrington…
WHAT IS A COLOCATION FACILITY?
A colocation facility is a hosting facility that will allow ISPs to deploy their services using their electronics in combination with Lincoln County’s open access fiber optic network. When you choose an ISP to provide fiber to your home, they will light up (turn on) your fiber through a colocation facility. ISP’s will have 24/7 access to these locked and monitored facilities.
WHY IS LINCOLN COUNTY’S FIBER NETWORK GOING TO BE “OPEN ACCESS?”
A broadband network is considered open access when the owner is not an internet service provider (ISP). These networks are viewed as a practical way of deploying broadband in rural, low population areas where it is difficult for ISPs to get sufficient return on investment. When they don’t have to build their own infrastructure, more ISPs are able to serve more customers they might not otherwise reach.
WHAT IS B.E.A.D. FUNDING?
The Broadband Equity, Access, & Deployment Program (BEAD) is part of the 2021 Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act. Over $1.2 billion in BEAD funding is available to our state to expand high-speed broadband infrastructure and Internet adoption. Lincoln County will work hard to secure some of this funding so that we can reach beyond our current projects to more of our unincorporated areas.