Pioneer Connect is proud to announce it has been awarded a $3 million USDA Rural Development Community Connect grant to bring Fiber-to-the-Home to a portion of the Triangle Lake area, boosting internet speeds for a key rural pocket of the Cooperative’s service area. Pioneer will contribute more than $700,000 to make the build a reality.
This announcement follows on the heels of Pioneer Connect’s summer 2021 announcement to build Fiber-to-the-Home to Philomath. The Cooperative has a long-term strategic plan to replace its copper network with Fiber-to-the-Home across its 1,300 square-mile serving area. The Community Connect program helps rural communities extend access where broadband service is least likely to be commercially available, but where it can make a tremendous difference in the quality of life for our members.
Residents in the build will benefit from Pioneer building a state-of-the-art, all-fiber network to deliver speeds up to 1 GIG. This means the rural community will have access to big-city speeds and upgradeable to meet future bandwidth needs in the decades to come.
“We’re thrilled to be expanding our Fiber-to-the-Home network with the help of this grant, and it’s an exciting time for rural communities,” said Jim Rennard, General Manager. “The Cooperative has applied for additional funding in the Triangle Lake/Deadwood/Horton/Blachly area to provide even more expansion of our fiber network to ensure areas outside of this project will also have 1 GIG speeds.
“We’re dedicating significant time and resources to pursue additional grant funding in 2022 with the latest announcements at the Federal and State level.”
The new Fiber network spanning approximately 40 miles will allow the Triangle Lake Charter School to move forward with its long-term goal of a community facility, which will eventually bring direct services, such as mental health counseling, career counseling and additional distance learning opportunities, to the community.
“This Fiber-to-the-Home announcement is a game-changer for our community,” Adam Watkins, Blachly School District Superintendent, said. “We’re excited to be partnering with the team at Pioneer to enhance broadband speeds to our community and families. Not only will this project change the way our community stays connected, but it will also shape our growth as a district for years to come.”
A construction date has not yet been set yet, as Pioneer coordinates finalizing the grant and other documentation with the USDA. Pioneer will notify customers who are part of this build before construction begins in the area. Residents can show their fiber interest by submitting their information and address at fiber.pioneer.net.
With speeds up to 1 GIG, residents will experience faster downloads, enhanced video streaming, real-time gaming, and virtually unlimited speeds for work-from-home, telehealth, and distance learning. Fiber-to-the-Home, coupled with Pioneer’s state-of-the-art whole-home Wi-Fi 6 product, Premium Wi-Fi, will provide uninterrupted bandwidth in homes and businesses, enabling a seamless experience for multiple devices simultaneously.
About Pioneer Connect
Pioneer Connect is a broadband partner providing services to connect your life—delivering phone, internet, and more to our neighbors from the Willamette Valley to the Pacific Ocean. For over 70 years, Pioneer has gone the extra mile to make sure each member of our 1,300 square mile service area has the technology they need; providing services to rural homes, businesses, K-12 schools and colleges. Pioneer Connect has built a 700-mile fiber optic network providing the communities with essential phone services and the latest in fast and reliable internet technology. We are proud to be Pioneers for you, our community.