Grays Harbor Public Utility District (PUD), a wholesale open access telecom utility in Washington state, will soon enter phase four of an ambitious fiber expansion project that will bring affordable next-gen broadband access to rural residents written off by the monopolies that were supposed to serve them.

The PUD tells local news outlet The Daily World that so far it has deployed 85,885 feet of underground fiber, 201,392 feet of aerial fiber, while installing 411 fiber vaults and completing 604 splices across 17,310 labor hours.

The PUD also states that Phase 4 of the PUD’s fiber internet expansion in south Elma, Porter and Cedarville will be reached later this Spring, bringing access to locals who have been waiting for years for faster, more reliable, and more affordable service. Many folks in these target areas of Grays Harbor County have never seen broadband access at all.

“The only thing was quite a bit of underground construction, and toward the northern part of the project, there’s a lot of private lanes,” Sara Travers, telecom business coordinator with the Grays Harbor PUD, told the outlet. “But everybody has been very eager and accepting because they’re very excited to get broadband.”

Grays Harbor PUD had historically made several unsuccessful bids to obtain Public Works Board grants through the Department of Commerce, before receiving a $6.9 million broadband expansion grant from the Washington State Broadband Office in 2023.

Grays Harbor PUD, a wholesale telecom utility in Washington state, says it’s getting to work leveraging a $7 million grant from the Washington State Broadband Office to expand affordable fiber access in the South Elma, Porter, and Cedarville areas of the Evergreen State.

Grays Harbor PUD was one of 16 Washington utilities chosen by the Washington State Broadband Office to receive grant funding during awards first announced back in 2023.

The $6.9 million grant is helping the PUD run fiber along State Route 12, using existing utility poles to expand the service possibilities for customers in South Elma, Porter, Cedarville, and surrounding areas. Once complete, the PUD is expected to lease fiber access to roughly a dozen Internet service providers, serving more than 500 new locations.

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The construction is being built in partnership with Paramount Communications, and officials are warning locals to expect some construction delays as crews get to work across the impacted parts of Grays Harbor County on the western side of Washington state.

“The Grays Harbor PUD appreciates your patience and understanding as we complete this project,” Grays Harbor PUD Telecom Business Coordinator Sara Travers says in an announcement. “Our teams are committed to working safely and efficiently to bring improved broadband services to your area.”