Construction crews have begun work on Fort Bragg’s long-awaited municipal fiber network, which will ultimately bring affordable fiber to the California city of 7,000.

The total cost of the project is estimated to be $17 million. Of that, $10 million will be paid for by a Last Mile Federal Funding Account (FFA) grant from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), awarded in February to help fund the construction of a Middle Mile Broadband Network (MMBN) that will run directly through the heart of Ft. Bragg.

The remaining project costs will be paid for by a $7 million, 20-year loan at 4.85 percent from EverBank, recently approved by the Fort Bragg city council.

“This project is a cornerstone for the future of Fort Bragg,” City Manager Isaac Whippy said of the milestone. “Reliable, high-speed internet is no longer a luxury – it’s a necessity. With this investment, we’re closing the digital divide and making Fort Bragg a more connected, competitive, and inclusive community.”

According to a city announcement, Ft. Bragg’s citywide fiber network, 170 miles north of San Francisco, is being designed with a centralized data hub and 15 Distribution Areas (DAs). Using horizontal directional drilling, crews will install conduit and fiber underground – primarily beneath sidewalks and alleys – connecting to a fiber terminal located near the edge of the city’s right-of-way at each property.

Construction crews have begun work on Fort Bragg’s long-awaited municipal fiber network, which will ultimately bring affordable fiber to the California city of 7,000.

The total cost of the project is estimated to be $17 million. Of that, $10 million will be paid for by a Last Mile Federal Funding Account (FFA) grant from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), awarded in February to help fund the construction of a Middle Mile Broadband Network (MMBN) that will run directly through the heart of Ft. Bragg.

The remaining project costs will be paid for by a $7 million, 20-year loan at 4.85 percent from EverBank, recently approved by the Fort Bragg city council.

“This project is a cornerstone for the future of Fort Bragg,” City Manager Isaac Whippy said of the milestone. “Reliable, high-speed internet is no longer a luxury – it’s a necessity. With this investment, we’re closing the digital divide and making Fort Bragg a more connected, competitive, and inclusive community.”

According to a city announcement, Ft. Bragg’s citywide fiber network, 170 miles north of San Francisco, is being designed with a centralized data hub and 15 Distribution Areas (DAs). Using horizontal directional drilling, crews will install conduit and fiber underground – primarily beneath sidewalks and alleys – connecting to a fiber terminal located near the edge of the city’s right-of-way at each property.

Construction crews have begun work on Fort Bragg’s long-awaited municipal fiber network, which will ultimately bring affordable fiber to the California city of 7,000.

The total cost of the project is estimated to be $17 million. Of that, $10 million will be paid for by a Last Mile Federal Funding Account (FFA) grant from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), awarded in February to help fund the construction of a Middle Mile Broadband Network (MMBN) that will run directly through the heart of Ft. Bragg.

The remaining project costs will be paid for by a $7 million, 20-year loan at 4.85 percent from EverBank, recently approved by the Fort Bragg city council.

“This project is a cornerstone for the future of Fort Bragg,” City Manager Isaac Whippy said of the milestone. “Reliable, high-speed internet is no longer a luxury – it’s a necessity. With this investment, we’re closing the digital divide and making Fort Bragg a more connected, competitive, and inclusive community.”

According to a city announcement, Ft. Bragg’s citywide fiber network, 170 miles north of San Francisco, is being designed with a centralized data hub and 15 Distribution Areas (DAs). Using horizontal directional drilling, crews will install conduit and fiber underground – primarily beneath sidewalks and alleys – connecting to a fiber terminal located near the edge of the city’s right-of-way at each property.

When California announced in 2021 that it would open a last-mile broadband grant program seeded with $2 billion, it was something of a watershed moment.

The Last-Mile Federal Funding Account (FFA) broadband program,* as it was called, instantly became one of the largest state-administered broadband grant programs ever. Along with other broadband programs overseen by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), the FFA program sought to significantly close the digital divide by ensuring that at least 98 percent of households had broadband access.

Municipalities, cooperatives, Tribal entities and community-based nonprofit networks seized this opportunity to take charge of their digital futures, submitting nearly one hundred applications in more than 40 counties across the state.

As grant announcements began rolling out in June of 2024, the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) began tracking where that money was going and, specifically, the kinds of applicants that were successful in the program. What emerged was indisputable: California’s Federal Funding Account broadband program was an unprecedented success for community networks.

At communitynetworks.org, we have published numerous stories highlighting innovative and successful applications, including projects by Plumas-Sierra Telecommunications, the City of Huntington Park, the City of Oakland, Cold Springs Rancheria, and the City of Indio.

Today we are releasing a new two-part dashboard based on the CPUC’s data that helps visualize the success of community-based projects in this transformative state program. (The CPUC also has a very helpful interactive dashboard with more detail on each project, but it does not share our focus on community networks). Hover on each visualization within this dashboard for additional detail.

When California announced in 2021 that it would open a last-mile broadband grant program seeded with $2 billion, it was something of a watershed moment.

The Last-Mile Federal Funding Account (FFA) broadband program,* as it was called, instantly became one of the largest state-administered broadband grant programs ever. Along with other broadband programs overseen by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), the FFA program sought to significantly close the digital divide by ensuring that at least 98 percent of households had broadband access.

Municipalities, cooperatives, Tribal entities and community-based nonprofit networks seized this opportunity to take charge of their digital futures, submitting nearly one hundred applications in more than 40 counties across the state.

As grant announcements began rolling out in June of 2024, the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) began tracking where that money was going and, specifically, the kinds of applicants that were successful in the program. What emerged was indisputable: California’s Federal Funding Account broadband program was an unprecedented success for community networks.

At communitynetworks.org, we have published numerous stories highlighting innovative and successful applications, including projects by Plumas-Sierra Telecommunications, the City of Huntington Park, the City of Oakland, Cold Springs Rancheria, and the City of Indio.

Today we are releasing a new two-part dashboard based on the CPUC’s data that helps visualize the success of community-based projects in this transformative state program. (The CPUC also has a very helpful interactive dashboard with more detail on each project, but it does not share our focus on community networks). Hover on each visualization within this dashboard for additional detail.

When California announced in 2021 that it would open a last-mile broadband grant program seeded with $2 billion, it was something of a watershed moment.

The Last-Mile Federal Funding Account (FFA) broadband program,* as it was called, instantly became one of the largest state-administered broadband grant programs ever. Along with other broadband programs overseen by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), the FFA program sought to significantly close the digital divide by ensuring that at least 98 percent of households had broadband access.

Municipalities, cooperatives, Tribal entities and community-based nonprofit networks seized this opportunity to take charge of their digital futures, submitting nearly one hundred applications in more than 40 counties across the state.

As grant announcements began rolling out in June of 2024, the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) began tracking where that money was going and, specifically, the kinds of applicants that were successful in the program. What emerged was indisputable: California’s Federal Funding Account broadband program was an unprecedented success for community networks.

At communitynetworks.org, we have published numerous stories highlighting innovative and successful applications, including projects by Plumas-Sierra Telecommunications, the City of Huntington Park, the City of Oakland, Cold Springs Rancheria, and the City of Indio.

Today we are releasing a new two-part dashboard based on the CPUC’s data that helps visualize the success of community-based projects in this transformative state program. (The CPUC also has a very helpful interactive dashboard with more detail on each project, but it does not share our focus on community networks). Hover on each visualization within this dashboard for additional detail.

When California announced in 2021 that it would open a last-mile broadband grant program seeded with $2 billion, it was something of a watershed moment.

The Last-Mile Federal Funding Account (FFA) broadband program,* as it was called, instantly became one of the largest state-administered broadband grant programs ever. Along with other broadband programs overseen by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), the FFA program sought to significantly close the digital divide by ensuring that at least 98 percent of households had broadband access.

Municipalities, cooperatives, Tribal entities and community-based nonprofit networks seized this opportunity to take charge of their digital futures, submitting nearly one hundred applications in more than 40 counties across the state.

As grant announcements began rolling out in June of 2024, the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) began tracking where that money was going and, specifically, the kinds of applicants that were successful in the program. What emerged was indisputable: California’s Federal Funding Account broadband program was an unprecedented success for community networks.

At communitynetworks.org, we have published numerous stories highlighting innovative and successful applications, including projects by Plumas-Sierra Telecommunications, the City of Huntington Park, the City of Oakland, Cold Springs Rancheria, and the City of Indio.

Today we are releasing a new two-part dashboard based on the CPUC’s data that helps visualize the success of community-based projects in this transformative state program. (The CPUC also has a very helpful interactive dashboard with more detail on each project, but it does not share our focus on community networks). Hover on each visualization within this dashboard for additional detail.

When California announced in 2021 that it would open a last-mile broadband grant program seeded with $2 billion, it was something of a watershed moment.

The Last-Mile Federal Funding Account (FFA) broadband program,* as it was called, instantly became one of the largest state-administered broadband grant programs ever. Along with other broadband programs overseen by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), the FFA program sought to significantly close the digital divide by ensuring that at least 98 percent of households had broadband access.

Municipalities, cooperatives, Tribal entities and community-based nonprofit networks seized this opportunity to take charge of their digital futures, submitting nearly one hundred applications in more than 40 counties across the state.

As grant announcements began rolling out in June of 2024, the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) began tracking where that money was going and, specifically, the kinds of applicants that were successful in the program. What emerged was indisputable: California’s Federal Funding Account broadband program was an unprecedented success for community networks.

At communitynetworks.org, we have published numerous stories highlighting innovative and successful applications, including projects by Plumas-Sierra Telecommunications, the City of Huntington Park, the City of Oakland, Cold Springs Rancheria, and the City of Indio.

Today we are releasing a new two-part dashboard based on the CPUC’s data that helps visualize the success of community-based projects in this transformative state program. (The CPUC also has a very helpful interactive dashboard with more detail on each project, but it does not share our focus on community networks). Hover on each visualization within this dashboard for additional detail.

When California announced in 2021 that it would open a last-mile broadband grant program seeded with $2 billion, it was something of a watershed moment.

The Last-Mile Federal Funding Account (FFA) broadband program,* as it was called, instantly became one of the largest state-administered broadband grant programs ever. Along with other broadband programs overseen by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), the FFA program sought to significantly close the digital divide by ensuring that at least 98 percent of households had broadband access.

Municipalities, cooperatives, Tribal entities and community-based nonprofit networks seized this opportunity to take charge of their digital futures, submitting nearly one hundred applications in more than 40 counties across the state.

As grant announcements began rolling out in June of 2024, the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) began tracking where that money was going and, specifically, the kinds of applicants that were successful in the program. What emerged was indisputable: California’s Federal Funding Account broadband program was an unprecedented success for community networks.

At communitynetworks.org, we have published numerous stories highlighting innovative and successful applications, including projects by Plumas-Sierra Telecommunications, the City of Huntington Park, the City of Oakland, Cold Springs Rancheria, and the City of Indio.

Today we are releasing a new two-part dashboard based on the CPUC’s data that helps visualize the success of community-based projects in this transformative state program. (The CPUC also has a very helpful interactive dashboard with more detail on each project, but it does not share our focus on community networks). Hover on each visualization within this dashboard for additional detail.

When California announced in 2021 that it would open a last-mile broadband grant program seeded with $2 billion, it was something of a watershed moment.

The Last-Mile Federal Funding Account (FFA) broadband program,* as it was called, instantly became one of the largest state-administered broadband grant programs ever. Along with other broadband programs overseen by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), the FFA program sought to significantly close the digital divide by ensuring that at least 98 percent of households had broadband access.

Municipalities, cooperatives, Tribal entities and community-based nonprofit networks seized this opportunity to take charge of their digital futures, submitting nearly one hundred applications in more than 40 counties across the state.

As grant announcements began rolling out in June of 2024, the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) began tracking where that money was going and, specifically, the kinds of applicants that were successful in the program. What emerged was indisputable: California’s Federal Funding Account broadband program was an unprecedented success for community networks.

At communitynetworks.org, we have published numerous stories highlighting innovative and successful applications, including projects by Plumas-Sierra Telecommunications, the City of Huntington Park, the City of Oakland, Cold Springs Rancheria, and the City of Indio.

Today we are releasing a new two-part dashboard based on the CPUC’s data that helps visualize the success of community-based projects in this transformative state program. (The CPUC also has a very helpful interactive dashboard with more detail on each project, but it does not share our focus on community networks). Hover on each visualization within this dashboard for additional detail.