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By Jana Mathia
Gazette Reporter 

Pioneer ahead of schedule on fiber optic installation

 

April 25, 2019



Last year, almost 70 miles of new fiber optic lines were laid in the second year of Pioneer Telephone’s $8.5 million project. That contrasts with the scarcely more than 20 miles laid the year before.

“We’re ahead of schedule,” said Dallas Filan, Pioneer Telephone manager, told the Gazette last Friday.

Originally the project was projected to take five or six years to complete. Given the current progress, if it had not been for the two months of snow and freezing temperatures, the project may have been wrapped up this year. Filan estimated there are only 70 to 80 miles left on the project.

Work in 2018 was expected to only go as far as Endicott, but crews were able to take the lines to Winona and as far as Texas Lake and Cow Creek areas.

“The fiber is in, just gotta get our installer out,” Filan noted. While the fiber is in place, customers cannot access it until a box is installed and they are connected to the fiber.

Those who have been connected are noticing. Filan said a lot of the customers in the rural areas can’t believe the difference the fiber optics makes over the copper lines.

One crew is now working to get the lines under rail crossings. The main crew is expected back next month after finishing its current job.

With the fiber along the main roads, most of the work this year will be along the gravel country roads including Kackman, Ochs and Lee roads. When the job is done, 98 percent of Pioneer’s customers will have fiber.

The project was made possible with a grant from the state’s Universal Service Fund and additional federal funds. With a service area of 800 square miles, the cost of the fiber installation is about $26,000 per home.

Filan said he was grateful to all the local county officials, tenants and customers who had been supportive of the project.

Author Bio

Jana Mathia, Reporter

Author photo

Jana Mathia is a reporter at the Whitman County Gazette.

 

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