This summer, crews started building something Clarkston, WA hasn't had before: a fiber-optic network built for the fastest internet speeds available in the area. More than 7,300 homes and businesses across the city are part of the plan, and as of late July, the first addresses are live.
For a city built where the Snake and Clearwater rivers meet, connectivity has always mattered more than the map would suggest. Clarkston runs on its port, its farms and a steady flow of people crossing the bridge to and from Lewiston every day. A dedicated fiber-optic line to every address means a home office can hold a video call without lag; a Bridge Street shop can process a sale without a hiccup and a kid finishing a school project doesn't have to fight a loading screen to get it done. That's the gap this build is meant to close.
Construction will roll out in phases across the city over the coming weeks and months, with crews running fiber-optic cable aerially between telephone poles and underground in select areas.
Why Clarkston?
Clarkston is the latest stop on a build list that now covers more than 200 Northwest communities, part of the same network that’s the fastest in the country. Every city on that list gets picked for its own reasons, and Clarkston's case is a strong one: a working port that moves grain and freight, a growing base of small businesses along the valley and a population that splits its time between two states and expects its internet to keep up regardless.
A local perspective
For Nicole Barnett, Ziply Fiber's Community Development Manager in Clarkston, the launch is personal. After all, she's the one working on the ground, building relationships with the city and its residents well before the first strand of fiber-optic cable goes in.
“The warm welcome I've received from local leaders, businesses and residents has made this launch especially meaningful. I look forward to continuing to build relationships here and being part of the community's future as we celebrate this exciting new chapter together."
What's next
Crews will be visible around town through the summer as construction reaches more addresses. Residents can check when service will be available at their address and sign up for updates on Ziply Fiber's Clarkston page, and anyone who notices a construction issue can report it through the construction feedback form.
Once live, Clarkston addresses will have access to speeds up to 50 Gig, symmetrical uploads and downloads, no data caps, no contracts and a WiFi 7 router included at no extra cost.
Clarkston doesn't need to look like a big city to deserve big-city internet. This build makes sure it has it.
