Nevada City, Calif. – The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a $389,000 grant to AT&T to build new aerial fiber internet infrastructure west of Highway 49 in the Wolf Mountain area. Once built, the service will be available to 155 households.
Aerial fiber is fast Internet sent through fiber optic cables hung on poles like power lines. The grant requires AT&T to build the infrastructure in three years, but the company hopes to complete the project more quickly. AT&T has also agreed to provide discounted service to low- income residents.
Board Chair Heidi Hall said fast internet service is a necessity for business, education, health care and staying connected. “Reliable high-speed internet is no longer a luxury,” Hall said. “This grant will help more residents have the tools they need to thrive in today’s digital world.”
Expanding high-speed internet access is one of the most important investments the County can make for residents, said Craig Griesbach, Nevada County director of Information and General Services. “This project will give Wolf Mountain area residents the connectivity they need to work, learn, access services and stay connected with friends and family – strengthening quality of life and economic opportunity for years to come,” he said.
The $389,000 is a portion of the $1.17 million Last Mile Broadband Grant Program funds previously approved by the Board of Supervisors. The Wolf Mountain Fiber project represents the fourth and final broadband project funded under the program’s third round of grants. Round three is expected to provide a total of 936 high-speed internet connections across four broadband projects: two awarded to AT&T and two to Oasis Broadband.
To learn more about high-speed internet projects in Nevada County, visit www.NevadaCountyCa.gov/broadband.