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Chelan PUD almost ready to talk fiber
WENATCHEE, Feb 10, 2012 (The Wenatchee World - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
After sacking two fiber-network managers and launching a year-long analysis into the indebted fiber system's costs and needs, the Chelan County PUD will give the public a first glimpse at its findings Feb. 28.
For those who've been hungering for fast, fiber-fueled Internet, the findings could be a foreshadowing of whether you'll ever actually get it.
The public meeting will include the results of:
A telephone survey of 400 PUD customers.
Opinions expressed during customer focus groups and interviews with "opinion leaders" from the business, medical, government and education sectors and local Internet service providers (ISPs).
A study of the network's economic impact on the county.
A staff benchmarking study of the fiber networks and business plans of the Douglas, Grant, Okanogan and Grays Harbor PUDs and the city of Tacoma.
"This is not like anything we've ever done with fiber or with anything at the district in the 11 years I've been here," says Chris Church, engineering service director for the utility. "It's unique."
PUD lips have been hermetically sealed on study findings so far, and Church says they will be until all results have been reviewed -- a process that could continue until public meeting day.
"All this input needs to be integrated into a coherent whole," he said. "The goal is to have a viable business model."
Staff will not make recommendations at this meeting.
Instead, they'll have a set of alternatives to present to the public during a series of community meetings the week of March 19 in Wenatchee, Cashmere, Leavenworth and Chelan. Dates and times to come.
Commissioners will hear staff recommendations April 9 and are scheduled to vote on a plan April 16.
Local ISPs use the PUD's fiber-optic network, to sell Internet, telephone and/or cable TV services to the public. PUDs are prohibited by law from providing these services, themselves.
The PUD has spent approximately $117 million to date to build the network. Of that, $99 million is outstanding debt. The system lost $8.2 million last year.
The network is currently available to about 70 percent of county residents and continues to be highly sought-after, especially among those with no alternatives for a fast Internet connection. New connections averaged about 117 per month last year, according to PUD figures.
The cost to supply fiber to these remote areas is expensive and has sparked controversy over when and how to limit spending.
General Manager John Janney fired two fiber managers last February for what he perceived were inaccurate estimates of the network coverage and costs.
The perceived faulty estimates caused the PUD to reject a $25 million federal grant that would have been spent to further expand the fiber network to all but the most remote county residents.
Both the fired managers, Joe Jarvis and John Smith, have sued the utility. in federal court, saying they were fired without just cause and due process. Their suits are pending.
Christine Pratt: 665-1173
pratt@wenatcheeworld.com
___ (c)2012 The Wenatchee World (Wenatchee, Wash.) Visit The Wenatchee World
(Wenatchee, Wash.) at www.wenatcheeworld.com Distributed by MCT Information
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