More than 2,400 homes and businesses in Philomath, Oregon, will have access to Pioneer Connect’s next-generation Fiber-to-the-Home network, the Cooperative announced today. Construction is set to begin at the end of August 2021. This year-long project will provide the Philomath community and select surrounding areas with internet speeds up to 1 GIG — a sizable advantage when it comes to digital innovation and growth.
This announcement is part of Pioneer Connect’s long-term strategic plan to replace its copper network with Fiber-to-the-Home across its 1,300 square-mile serving area, with construction and deployment starting in Philomath. Pioneer will build its own state-of-the-art, all-fiber network to deliver speeds up to 1 GIG for residential and business customers. Pioneer is investing in Philomath’s future with this build, as the Cooperative is funding the project from start to finish without any outside resources.
Not only will this new network ensure Philomath has ample bandwidth for today, but it will also power the community’s growth and development for decades to come. A fiber network levels the playing field for small, rural communities to compete with larger, urban areas for business growth, expansion, and economic development.
“This is truly a historic day for Pioneer Connect and Philomath,” said Jim Rennard, General Manager. “We’re thrilled to be breaking ground later this month. This fiber build will benefit everyone who lives and works in Philomath. Fiber gives our community a leg up in today’s changing economy, and it will connect all our neighbors to the internet in a profoundly different way. My appreciation goes out to the City of Philomath, Benton County, Pioneer Connect’s Board of Directors and everyone at Pioneer who will make this plan a reality.”
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. The new network will provide Philomath residents and businesses all the capacity they need to grow as new technology develops.
Pioneer Connect is partnering with North Sky Communications to help complete this year-long project. When construction begins later this month, residents will start seeing the North Sky team in neighborhoods. Pioneer Connect and North Sky will work in phases that are broken down by predetermined zones, installing new fiber and removing the existing copper network.
Pioneer has developed a new website dedicated to fiber, www.PhilomathFiber.net, for Philomath residents to follow the fiber construction and monitor the project’s progress. Residents and businesses can show their fiber interest by submitting their information and address. The website will also allow Pioneer to provide the latest updates on the fiber deployment specific to each zone receiving fiber.
The benefits of fiber technology:
- Provides speeds allowing users to download content at up to 1,000 megabits (1 GIG) per second.
- Provides enough speed to work from home, take advantage of telehealth services, participate fully in distance learning, and simultaneously download music and movies while gaming and streaming HD and 4K content, with virtually no lag time.
- Has positive impacts on education, business and future economic development.
- Increases property values
- Can easily handle the current and future demands of numerous connected devices in homes and businesses.
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.
About North Sky Communications
North Sky Communications, LLC (North Sky) is a specialty telecommunications construction contractor with over 30 years of experience. North Sky has a home base of operations in Vancouver, Washington, with several satellite offices located in the Pacific Northwest as well as national project offices around the lower 48 states. The Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Dycom Industries, Inc. (NYSE:DY), a leading provider of specialty contracting services throughout the United States.