GCPUD Press Release

Grant PUD Commissioners Discuss Broadband Technologies
Presentation Analyzes Options for Potential Build-out in 2008 and Beyond

EPHRATA, WA – Grant County PUD Commissioners furthered discussions regarding the future of broadband technology options in the county during a presentation at today’s Commission meeting. The discussion was the third and final in a series that will lay out options for future Commission action.

Joe Savage, president of the Fiber to the Home Council, spoke to Commissioners about the benefits of building fiber optics to homes and businesses. Savage provided insight on the benefits that other municipalities are seeing as a result of their fiber infrastructure.

No decisions regarding build-out past 2007 were made at the meeting. In late May, the Commission approved construction of two to four areas in the county. This construction will increase the number of homes and businesses with fiber availability by approximately 650 while using materials and fiber optics from existing inventory. Beyond these two to four hub areas, all plans for expansion of the system will be considered in Grant PUD’s 2008 budgeting process.

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Grant County Public Utility District is a Washington state municipal corporation that began electric service in 1942. Owned by the people it serves, Grant PUD generates and sells electricity to Grant County residents and millions of customers throughout Central Washington and the Pacific Northwest. The Priest Rapids Project, comprised of Priest Rapids and Wanapum Dams, produces nearly 2,000 megawatts of clean, renewable and reliable electricity – enough to supply a city the size of Seattle. A leader in science based technology; Grant PUD is committed to finding effective measures for the protection, mitigation and enhancement of salmon, steelhead and other natural and cultural resources.