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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
November 9, 2023     Shelton Mason County Journal
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November 9, 2023
 
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Page — Shelton-Mason Journal - Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023 Broadband comes to west side of Hood Canal By Gordon Weeks gordon @masoncounty. com Mason PUD 1 and Hood Canal Communications have partnered to provide broad— band service to customers on the west side of the Hood Canal from near the Hamma Hamma River to Brinnon. The Hood Canal—101 Broadband Project affects 117 residents and business— es who have not had access to broadband services, even with cellular devices. The only options have been satel- lite or Verizon. The Hood Canal—101 Broadband Project was made possible when the Commu- nity Economic Revitalization Board in September 2021 approved a $797,040 grant from the Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund to Mason PUD 1. The project created about 4 miles of fiber along US. Highway 101 that includes Eldon, Beacon Point, Triton Point and Brinnon. Hood Ca- nal Telephone Co. is the in- ternet service provider. The CERB money was matched by $199,260 in local money. At a ribbon~cutting cer— emony Friday, Mason PUD 1 General Manager Kristin Masteller described the proj— ect as “a huge public/private partnership.” She thanked CERB and Mason County Commissioner Kevin Shutty ,5», a Mason PUD 1 General Manager Kristin Masteller, center, on Friday cuts a ribbon celebrat- ing the partnership between Mason PUD 1 and Hood Canal Communications to provide broadband service to customers on the west side of the Hood Canal from near the Ham- ma Hamma River to Brinnon. Journal photo by Gordon Weeks for the commission’s help get- ting funding, and also praised the efforts of community partners that include Jeffer— son County PUD and Mason PUD 3. This is the first time PUD 1 has been involved in provid— ing broadband service, Mas- teller said. Mike Oblizalo, general manager and Vice president of Hood Canal Communi— cations, also spoke at the ceremony. “We’ve heard it, the inter- net is not a luxury anymore — you need it,” he said. In a fact sheet, Mason PUD 1 states, “There are cur- rently no public medical clin- ics or hospitals in the project area. It is critical for resi— dents to be able to access both chINoonESORT... LlTTLECREEK.COM 1.800.667.7711 emergency and preventative care without having to leave their homes. The expansion of broadband to this area would give residents easier access to all emergency services, al- lows offices to expand to new locations, and greatly shorten response times There are currently no major employ- ers in the area due to lack of broadband.” MUST BE 21 AND OLDER TO ATTEND. ALL SALES ARE FlNAL. SEE PLAYERS CLUB FUD MORE DETAILS Friday’s ribbon-cutting Ceremony took place on the Beacon Point property of Jim Boldt, the inaugural custom- er. He was the first customer who was connected as a test run to test the new network before Hood Canal Commu» nications started connecting others. Mason PUD 1 points out Boldt is well acquainted with public utilities he ran the Washington PUD As- sociation and consulted with PUDs in communications and government relations. Boldt and his neighbors started the West Canal Community Broadband Group, and for more than a decade lobbied public and private sector util- ity providers to develop a plan to serve residents in the area. In a newsletter to custom- ers, Masteller wrote that the grant money from Hood Canal Communications “couldn’t reach all of our customers this first round. I also know there are a lot of communi- ties that are still waiting for access and even more custom- ers that have questions about where HCC is serving and when.” She recommended people check out the website at www.hcc.net and call their office about buildout plans.” Mason PUD 1 will continue to work on grant applica~ tions and buildout plans,.she wrote.