Whidbey Telecom updates PRCAC

Martha Ford, marketing manager of Whidbey Telecom, presented an update on the progress of the fiber internet installation in Point Roberts during the Point Roberts Community Advisory Committee (PRCAC) meeting on April 20.

Ford expressed her excitement and said, “We’ve made amazing progress in getting the fiber project underway.” Fiber internet service is currently available in commercial areas on Tyee and Gulf, on Roosevelt by the border, and on Edwards by the marina.

So far in 2023, Whidbey has put over 18 miles of fiber into the ground and invested over $1.7 million.They have received two United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) grants for underserved areas. The first grant, Reconnect 2, worth $600,000, serves the area on Edwards by the marina, and installation is projected to be completed by this spring.

The second grant, the USDA Community Connect grant for $1 million, serves the west side of the point from the marina north to Monument Park, and Whidbey aims to complete that area by the end of the summer.

Ford assured PRCAC that teams are working as diligently as possible, “It’s an amazing amount of fiber that they have put into the ground, and they’ve just been working like crazy to get it done.”