Company brings fiber optic service to rural region

An out-of-state communication company is launching high-speed Internet service in small towns in Whitman, Latah and Spokane counties over the next month.

Frontier Communications is holding public promotion events for the service in Garfield, Oakesdale, Palouse, Rosalia, Tekoa, Thornton, Weippe, Rockford, Fairfield, Genesee and Latah.

The national company bought all of Verizon’s assets in the Palouse region last July. Since July 1, Frontier has spent $1.2 million to lay down fiber optic cables to these 11 small towns.

“It’s a game changer for the businesses and it’s a game changer for residents to be able to have this kind of high speed internet access,” said Tom Murn, general manager for Frontier Communications.

The company’s local office is located in Moscow. Frontier has installed an un-staffed storage building for its equipment in each of the 11 small towns.

Frontier’s fiber optic project is independent of the port’s project to install fiber optic cable to nine towns in Whitman County, according to Debbie Snell, properties and development manager with the Port of Whitman County.

Snell said the larger project to install a thick bundle of fiber optic cables from Spokane down to Clarkston has a focus on drawing in big and small client companies.

Frontier’s fiber optic cables will not be linked into the port network, which is under the auspice of the Northwest Open Access Network. The company has received $135 million for the statewide project. Port funding for the county project was $11.8 million.

The service from Frontier is offered in packages. For example, a user in Palouse can opt for high-speed internet alone, through their telephone landline or satellite TV dish.

Frontier held their first meet and greet in Palouse Friday, Jan. 14. They will be in Tekoa Jan. 19 at the Feeding Station, Rockford Jan. 20 at the Harvest Moon Café, Garfield, Jan. 28 at the American Legion, Fairfield Jan. 26 at the Community Center, Rosalia Feb. 2 at the Community Center, Oakesdale Feb. 3 at the Fire Hall, Genesee Feb. 9 at the Frontier Office, and in Latah and Thornton Feb. 10.