Customer Services Fiber Line Extension

This policy offers service providers and retail customers more options for connecting to the PUD’s fiber network. It protects the PUD -- and all its customers -- financially, while providing an opportunity for fiber retail customers with higher-cost connections to get service faster. The policy also defines roles and responsibilities clearly.

The PUD works with the service provider as the “applicant” on new fiber line extensions. Service providers, in turn, work with the PUD on their customers’ behalf. At the moment, this policy is applicable to premises outside the RUS Fiber Grant Project build-out areas in Chelan County. The PUD contributes a maximum of $1,500 per fiber connection and offers retail customers an opportunity to pick up any additional costs that may be standing in the way of establishing a connection. This new policy may help speed up connections to the network in those cases.

You can check fiber availability at www.chelanpud.org/fiber and put in a Fiber Connection Request with a service provider to get started and find out the status of fiber construction near your home or business. Your service provider will let you know if your property is ready to connect or if you could benefit from using the Line Extension Policy.

If you've already made a Fiber Connection Request with a provider, you should contact them again to determine whether you'd like to use the PUD’s new Line Extension Policy.

Your service provider will place a Customer Service Request (CSR) for analysis with the PUD. The PUD will inform your provider of the site analysis results. Your service provider will contact you and review the results, letting you know whether your connection falls under the $1,500 ceiling or if the work is estimated to cost more. You will then be able to decide whether to ask for a more detailed cost analysis and whether to proceed with the connection after getting those numbers. A more detailed cost analysis will require a payment by you to your service provider which will be passed through to the PUD.

In many cases, property owners can help lower the overall costs by doing trenching and placing the underground fiber conduit on their property. However, be aware that this work needs to follow approved PUD fiber conduit specifications and, once completed, it will need to be inspected by the PUD. This fiber conduit is available for no cost from the PUD. We suggest contacting the PUD or your service provider for clear instructions on how to proceed if you are interested in doing work yourself or with a contractor you hire.

The PUD and service providers will try to do the steps as quickly as possible, and the time required will be different in each case. If a request comes in from an area where fiber is already well established and no complicating circumstances exist for the connection, an answer may be possible in a week or two. If a detailed engineering analysis is required, the answer may take several weeks. If the PUD needs to negotiate rights of way and easements, the line extension is complicated or work crews run into unforeseen conditions, the process could take longer.

You will need to check with your service provider and ask if they are charging a fee. Normally no payment is required up front to make the initial Fiber Connection Request with a service provider. Only if the initial assessment indicates it’s likely your fiber connection may cost more than $1,500 will your service provider ask you to pay an engineering fee to have the PUD perform a detailed estimate. Once that estimate is complete, you can decide whether to proceed at that time. If you proceed, engineering fees can be applied to the overall line extension costs.   All costs above $1,500 must be paid to the PUD by your service provider in advance of the PUD doing any work.