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PORT TOWNSEND – The Jefferson County Utility District is seeking support from residents east of Discovery Bay for a $ 2 million grant application to build fiber for high-speed Internet.
The state Public Works Council grant would fund a project to build fiber optics in more than 200 homes along Highway 20 east of Discovery Bay between Anderson Lake and Four Corners roads.
The Jefferson Public Utility District (PUD) is asking residents of this area to complete an online survey or resend a return service postcard that has been mailed to customers.
Online survey is available here. All responses online or via postcard should be sent to PUD by September 24, said Will O’Donnell, director of communications, in a press release.
The request is separate from the $ 12.6 million federal funding that PUD is seeking in an August request to build over 160 miles of fiber to connect more than 1,600 homes and businesses in Quilcene, Discovery Bay, Gardiner and a part of Chimacum.
“The more support we receive, the better our chances of receiving funding,” said O’Donnell. “The current project builds on our first and extends fiber north from the bottom of Discovery Bay to the main PUD facility on Four Corners Road.
“As in the previous grant, the funding is intended to build homes that lack service or can only get service that does not meet state guidelines for broadband.”
The rewards for state and federal grants won’t be announced until December.
Construction on both projects would begin in 2022, if funding is granted, O’Donnell said.
The PUD announces that fiber in the project area would offer minimum upload and download speeds of 100 megabytes per second, with speeds of gigabytes or more also available.
PUD’s monthly internet service is expected to start at $ 65 before taxes. Low-income rates would also be available, O’Donnell said.
In a 2019 survey, around 70% of residents said they did not have broadband service.
High speed internet is defined as speeds greater than 25 megabytes per second.
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Jefferson County reporter Zach Jablonski can be reached at 360-385-2335, ext. 5, or at [email protected]
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