Fiber optic internet available in Palouse

PALOUSE - The internet got a lot faster in Palouse on Oct. 15.

Ziply™ Fiber and the Port of Whitman County began providing full fiber optic service to residents and businesses.

"The network enables 'Gig-speed' or Gigabit fiber internet, streaming TV, and fiber-based phone services for the first time in the city," said Harold Zeitz, CEO of Ziply Fiber.

The same 1 gigabit per second service went live in Rosalia last summer.

It's part of a five-city partnership between the port and Ziply Fiber to build fiber internet in Whitman County. Builds in Garfield, Oakesdale, and Tekoa and are under construction.

"We are proud of this new, state-of-the-art, open-access network here in Palouse and how it will put the city's internet connectivity on par with major cities across the county and state," said Kara Riebold, Chief Operating Officer at the Port of Whitman County.

Construction of the new fiber network was supported by the Washington Community Economic Revitalization Board (CERB), which formed in 1982 to respond to local economic development in Washington communities.

CERB's Rural Broadband Program provides low-interest loans and grants to local governments to build infrastructure to provide high-speed broadband service to rural underserved communities for the purpose of community economic development.