West Canal Community Broadband Project

01/06/2024

We’ve received a lot of inquiries about Beacon Point, here’s the skinny…
https://westcanal.net/2024/01/beacon-point-construction-and-funding-needs/

12/29/2023

Last month (November 30th, to be exact), HCC had another great announcement for broadband: the first Jefferson County customer is live! Click the link to read additional internet/construction updates...
https://westcanal.net/2023/12/hcc-packages-and-construction-updates/

08/27/2023

The Brinnon Broadband project broke ground back in May! Read more about what's coming between now and August 2024.

Neighbors: It’s been a busy summer for us, and we’ve been behind on our updates, but this one is a big one: in May, Hood Canal Communications broke ground on the Brinnon project! This post focuses on folks south of Mount Walker. If you live in Quilcene or on the Toandos Peninsula, Jefferson PUD1...

04/29/2023

We're excited to announce broadband is coming to Brinnon next year, but you need to join the waitlist to ensure you get service! Read more on our website: https://westcanal.net/2023/04/broadband-is-finally-arriving-sign-up-now/ .

Neighbors: Since we got started in 2016 almost all of our postings have been appeals for help. We’re delighted to share some big news this morning that the Hood Canal Communications team hinted at a few weeks ago: Broadband arrives in Brinnon by Fall 2024! To get service, you need to sign up. It's...

03/13/2023

Neighbors:

It’s been a little while since our last update, but things are moving, if a bit slowly. There are, however, some exciting updates.

First, if you live in Mason County between Eldon and the county line, fiber has arrived! Hood Canal Communications is starting installations. To get in line, sign up on their website. https://www.hcc.net/residential/internet/ Several speeds are available, and if you’re new to shopping for Internet service, this Consumer Reports guide is a great way to estimate how much speed you need. https://www.consumerreports.org/internet/how-much-internet-speed-do-you-need-a1714131782/ We usually recommend at least 100-megabit service if you watch TV online or regularly teleconference. Slower tiers can work fine for only occasional use.

Second, if you live in Jefferson County like most of us, the teams at Mason PUD1 and Hood Canal Communications have been working hard to get ready for our phase of the project. There has been a slight delay statewide with grant money, but things are starting to move again. Work is expected to start this summer with new power poles needed to hold the fiber. Our best estimate is that service installations start in 2024. We talk with both teams regularly and will update you as things move along.

Third, if you have not seen the announcement in last month’s Brinnon Crier, there will be a town hall this coming Wednesday (3/15) from 6-8pm at the community center. The agenda is packed, and most of our elected officials will be attending. Hood Canal Communications and Robert will also be there to help answer questions on the Internet work, alongside a lot of other projects too. Join us if you want to learn more or just say hi!

-Robert, Phil, and Jim
West Canal Community Broadband Project

01/07/2023

INTERNET UPDATE- Timeliness is critical!!
Hey all, we need your help. Grants have been approved to bring fiber to Brinnon however while large grants have been approved they are in jeopardy. There is a shortfall in the funding due to an error in cost estimation. If this shortfall is not covered, the larger grant money will need to be returned. WE NEED YOUR HELP NOW!! The help we need will only take a few minutes of your time.

See the full post on our website:
https://westcanal.net/2023/01/2023-update--mason-pud1-grant-letters/

08/11/2022

New broadband developments. It will be interesting to see how this affects Starlink's rapid buildout and if they change focus to ensure promised speeds are delivered.

The FCC has rejected the application of Starlink to provide broadband to rural America at a cost of $885 million over 10 years, nullifying a tentative approval back in 2020. The agency said SpaceX, and another company initially awarded $1.3 billion, had “failed to demonstrate that the provide…

03/06/2022

Great news! The first big grant needed for Brinnon got approved! See more details on our site.

It’s been almost 6 years since the organizers of our group and I first met to discuss connectivity in Brinnon. None of us knew at the time how much hard work it would take to get (and stay) connected. We’re delighted to share our biggest news so far: The NTIA approved grants to bring broadband t...

03/04/2022

In rural Mason County, located at the Southern end of the Hood Canal on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, Mason County Public Utility District #3 has developed an innovative approach to bringing high-speed broadband to unserved areas.

The PUD transforms broadband deserts into competitive environments with multiple service providers offering symmetrical Gigabit services with no data caps by deploying open-access fiber networks. The cost for these services? About $85 a month.

The PUD has aptly named these connected neighborhoods “Fiberhoods.”

NoaNet provides wholesale broadband infrastructure and telecommunications solutions to transform Washington State communities through broadband access.

11/16/2021

URGENT REQUEST for RESPONSE

Neighbors:
We got news this afternoon that CenturyLink has objected to part of our grant application in Brinnon (near the school and post office.) They claimed these areas already had good broadband and shouldn't qualify for the new grants. See the map below for the precise areas they are questioning.

We disagree, but need more survey data to prove the point. The federal government (NTIA) gave us 24 hours to gather data, otherwise they plan to exclude the area shown below from our application.

If you live in the area highlighted or know someone who does, please ask them to take our survey (including a speed test) or send us a letter by tomorrow (11/16/2021 at 2PM Pacific)!

Click or copy and paste this link into your browser to take the survey:
https://westcanal.net/survey-2021.1/

-Robert, Phil, and Jim
PS: No objections have been raised outside of this area. Look for more updates from us on our website soon.

10/12/2021

Nice detail in PUD 1's newsletter on Broadband ARPA and CERB Grants, and who the current funding will connect (and a small shout out to our group). Good luck PUD 1 and HCC, we're hoping Phase 3 can get approved as well. Community help is still needed so continue to contact our elected officials for Phase 3 NTIA approval.

Please enjoy the fall edition of our award-winning newsletter, "The Connector".https://mason-pud1.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Nwsltr-Mason-2021-Fall-Web.pdf

09/22/2021

New update on our website about West Canal Phase 2 Grant being approved. Congrats to those south of the Mason/Jefferson County lines!

We have some great news from the folks at Mason PUD1   : last week, the Washington Community Economic Revitalization Board (CERB) approved the second of the three major grants needed to bring service to our area. Read more about it in the latest CERB newsletter   . The grant will cover service up ...