Latest civic partnership leverages Idaho Cares Act II funds to serve hundreds of Blanchard residences and businesses
Kirkland, Wash. (October 7, 2021) – Ziply™ Fiber announced today that it will be building its ultra-high-speed, 100-percent fiber-optic network in Blanchard, Idaho, thanks to an agreement signed last week with the Bonner County Commission. Once construction is complete, residences and businesses will be able to connect to “Gig-speed” or Gigabit fiber Internet, streaming TV and fiber-based phone services for the first time ever. Ziply Fiber plans to build fiber connectivity to more than 600 addresses this calendar year.
The work in Blanchard is being funded by an allocation from 2020 Federal CARES Act II funds received by the State of Idaho. Ziply Fiber approached Bonner County with the opportunity to apply for funds when the company saw that the community was a match based on the criteria laid out in the program to cover broadband expansion projects.
Commissioners Dan McDonald and Jeff Connelly said that they believe this project is in the best interest of County citizens and imposes no additional costs on County taxpayers.
Today’s announcement comes at a time when more families and businesses are looking for fast, reliable Internet to support the online needs of daily life. Whether for work and school, or things like telemedicine or just good old-fashioned entertainment, residents and businesses alike will soon be able to see the immediate benefits a fiber-optic network will bring to their day-to-day lives.
“Having reliable internet has become more than a recreational need for those who stay at our resort. Because of the nature of how we can all conduct business nowadays, people can mix work with travel or school with travel and we find that happening more and more,” said Cindy Thomas, general manager, Stoneridge Resort. “Having fiber internet will greatly improve the experience of our timeshare owners and guests. We look forward to this huge upgrade and feel extremely fortunate to have this opportunity in rural Blanchard.”
Nancy Richards, president of the Stoneridge Property Owners Association, added “We have been working to build a broader sense of community among our residents. With the improvement of internet connection our residents see, the focal point of Ziply Fiber coming to serve our area has been truly energizing. Residents have shared that they are excited about faster internet and better pricing, and the enhanced quality of life that it affords. Additionally, many have stated the economic value it brings to our community and to our home values. We know that high-speed internet availability is a decision in home purchases.”
“We’ve always said that you shouldn’t have to live in a big city to have great Internet, and we’re extremely proud to be able to make Blanchard our newest gig-speed area in Idaho,” said Harold Zeitz, CEO of Ziply Fiber. “The work that we’re doing here not only will help improve Internet connectivity to be on par with larger metropolitan areas throughout the nation today, but also it will future-proof the network to ensure that businesses and residents have the best connections possible well into the future.”
Those who wish to check their address for fiber availability, or who would like to sign-up to be alerted when fiber internet is available at their home or business, can register at https://ziplyfiber.com/blanchard.
Ziply Fiber has been actively building its advanced, 100-percent fiber network across the Northwest since June 2020 and has plans to build and deploy new fiber-optic cables, local hubs, new offices, and new hardware to run the network as part of hundreds of additional projects over the next few years.
Ziply Fiber is local in the Northwest, headquartered in Kirkland, Washington, and has major offices in Everett, Washington; Beaverton, Oregon and Hayden, Idaho. Most of Ziply Fiber’s executive team, which consists of former executives from AT&T, CenturyLink, and Wave Broadband, either grew up in the Northwest or have spent the better part of 30 years living here. That local ownership and market familiarity is an important part of the company mindset and culture.
Media Contacts:
Dan Miller, Curator PR for Ziply Fiber Jessica Christopher, Curator PR for Ziply Fiber
206-979-4055 610-945-8615