Soap Lake wants to know more about fiber
FiberActive members speak to revitalization team about potential impact of getting fiber
SOAP LAKE — The Soap Lake Revitalization Team invited three members of the ratepayers action group FiberActive to share what they know about the Grant County Public Utility District's Zipp fiber optic network during the team's regular monthly meeting on Sept. 19 at the Soap Lake City Hall.
SLRT member and meeting facilitator Burr Beckwith said that Soap Lake and Grant County may be isolated geographically, but they are part of a worldwide market and that not having access to the fiber optic network can negatively impact the economic development of the area.
"I have been here a long time and I can't think of anything that's more important," Beckwith said Wednesday. "Everyone was supposed to have fiber in Grant County for free and nobody knows why there is no fiber here."
He said that the school is connected to the fiber optic network, but businesses such as Notaras Lodge don't have it. The PUD offered to connect the Notaras Lodge to the system, he said, but the owner would have to pay the $8,500 construction costs.
Beckwith said having fiber is an important consideration for people moving to the area and that having it would be a community upgrade.
"The presenters stated that if two homes are on the market — all things being equal — the home with high speed Internet is certainly more appealing to many of today's potential home buyers," he said.
Former teacher and SLRT member, and Burr Beckwith's wife, Eileen Beckwith, said that 42 people attended the meeting on Monday. Eileen Beckwith said that SLRT scheduled FiberActive members Don and Colleen Long and Alan Troupe of Ephrata as the meeting's featured speakers after people continued to approach her about Soap Lake's need for fiber.
FiberActive is currently made up of 26 members from a broad cross-section of Grant County residents who all contribute to the organization in various ways. The group shares a common vision of complete build out of the fiber system.
Don Long, who retired from the PUD after 30 years, and now works as a power resource consultant, said the PUD has already invested more than $100 million dollars building more than half of the system. But, he said, only one third of the PUD's ratepayers are currently being served by the system.
The PUD voted on March 7 in a 3-2 vote, to adopt a stand-pat business plan on build-out of the Zipp fiber optic system for the remainder of 2005. The action was taken in response to a recommendation from a fiber advisory group, but he said the group's recommendation was only for 2005 and that build-out should resume in 2006.
Don Long's concern is that the board of commissioners seem to have no plan or vision for the future of the fiber optic system.
He said it would cost about $80 million to finish the build out, and he believes that the system could be completed without impacting any of the rate classes.
"Money hasn't been lost, it has been spent and invested, and returns don't come back right away," Don Long said. "The dams didn't pay for themselves right away."
He asked the commissioners on Monday to include sufficient funds in the 2006 budget to restart the Zipp fiber optic build out with the goal of having it available to every home and business in the county within five years.
"I anticipate that some of you may ask me, 'How are we going to pay for this?,'" he said to the commissioners. "You have a highly qualified manager, treasurer-controller and staff whose job it is to answer that question. If you provide the vision and policy, they will find the money."
The FiberActive members said they will continue to push the board of commissioners to develop a plan for fiber within the district. They said that everyone within the district should have access to the Zipp system.
Colleen Long said she has been attending PUD commission meetings for two years to learn about the utility and how it operates. During that time, she said the PUD staff has been helpful and she has learned, "I'm a ratepayer/owner, that's what I've learned in two years," she said. "It's run different than a private business, everybody is treated the same."