Clallam County, Washington, Launches $22 Million Fiber Expansion Plan
County and Astound Broadband have begun construction on a joint partnership to bring fiber access to more than 1,500 rural homes.
June 9, 2025 – Clallam County, Washington and Astound Broadband have begun construction on a major new joint partnership that will bring affordable fiber access to more than 1,500 homes across the largely rural Northwestern part of The Evergreen State.
In a joint announcement, Astound states that it will be deploying more than 100 miles of fiber across long-neglected Clallam County, starting with a 15-mile deployment along the State Route 112 Highway corridor, beginning just west of Port Angeles.
The deployment is a joint collaboration between The Public Utility District (PUD) No. 1 of Clallam County, Astound Broadband, and the Northwest Open Access Network (NOANet), a nonprofit coalition developed by regional Washington Communications Utility Districts (CUD) to bring more reliable, affordable fiber access to neglected rural Washington communities.
State Broadband
Clallam county uses the NOANet fiber optic system for real-time metering, energy management, load control, and networking among remote utility facilities, though they’re keen to leverage the open access network to help provide last mile residential service.
The new $22 million fiber investment is being funded by a combination of a $16 million grant from the the Washington State Broadband Office made possible by the American Rescue Project Act (ARPA), $4.5 million from the Washington State Department of Commerce Public Works Board Broadband Program, and $1.7 million in funding from Clallam County.
The expansion will provide last mile fiber access to at least 1,500 new local residents, but will also prioritize bringing fiber to fire houses, schools, libraries, medical clinics, and other key anchor institutions in the county of 78,000.
“Clallam County will own the area network for the next 20 years, after which time it will pass it to Astound,” Astound spokesperson Mark Peterson tells ILSR. “Using Astound's existing fiber infrastructure – its network has extended out to Port Angeles for years – is important to the feasibility of the project, as it would otherwise exceed available funding. Astound is project-managing the build over the next year.”
Construction is expected to take somewhere between a year to 18 months before the first customers are connected. Residences and businesses are expected to see last mile fiber at speeds up to 5 gigabits per second (Gbps). Pricing has not yet been set yet, but the company says it will be affordable, with discounts provided for low-income residents.
“There are rural areas in the Olympic Peninsula that are low-income in nature and Astound will make its ‘Internet First’ program available to qualifying households, as that program is available everywhere in its service areas — pricing is currently $20 a month for 150 megabits per second (Mbps).”
Astound will be the first fiber provider to offer residential access in the history of the county.
“This is a key step in our efforts to bridge the digital divide in rural Clallam County. Reliable, high-speed internet is essential for education, healthcare access, business growth, and staying connected—no matter where you live,” Clallam County Commissioner Mike French says of the collaboration. “Once completed, this project will provide modern, scalable broadband infrastructure to residents and businesses alike, ensuring our region is better equipped for today’s digital demands and tomorrow’s opportunities.”
This article was published by the Community Broadband Networks Initiative of the Institute for Local Self Reliance on CommunityNets on June 9, 2025, and is reprinted with permission.
