First set of residents gain access today; can now make the move to the reliability of fiber for as little as $20/month
Kirkland, Wash. (May 31, 2022) – Ziply® Fiber announced today that the first stage of its ultra-high-speed, 100-percent fiber-optic network is now ready for service in Skykomish, Washington, enabling its popular “Gig-speed” service and its industry-leading 5-gig and 2-gig residential services to nearly 100 addresses in the town. In total, more than 350 addresses will have access to Ziply Fiber’s fiber optic network when network construction is complete later this year. With multi-gig services available, this launch not only makes Ziply Fiber the fastest internet provider in Skykomish but also makes Skykomish one of the fastest towns in the nation for household internet speeds, on par with if not faster than most major metropolitan areas.
“The Town views this critical infrastructure improvement as key to helping to bring not only the Town but also much of the surrounding rural area up to modern standards necessary for communities to flourish in these times,” said Henry Sladek, Mayor of Skykomish. “This beautiful jewel of a mountain community which attracts vacation and secondary homeowners, overnight guests, and highway travelers had mostly been left behind in terms of high-speed internet access before this current project. This step will complete our community restoration and revitalization! We look forward to being able to provide all the modern conveniences that folks have come to expect even though we're tucked into a remote section of Western Washington surrounded by many outdoor recreational opportunities here in the National Forest.”
Residents who aren’t looking for 5-gig speed may prefer the Fiber 50/50 plan from Ziply Fiber, which at $20/mo provides all the reliability of fiber at a very affordable price, with no annual contract required. This is one piece of how Ziply Fiber is working to bridge the digital divide that exists between large metro areas and many suburbs and rural communities.
“When we founded Ziply Fiber, our goal was to identify the towns in the Northwest that were the most underserved when it came to broadband connectivity and to upgrade them to fiber-optics and the amazing things it can do for their families, businesses, and communities,” said Harold Zeitz, CEO of Ziply Fiber. “We are proud to be able to do that in Skykomish. Together, the town and the surrounding community will reap the benefits of access to our network for decades to come.”
Through collaboration with King County, the local school district, and countless residents, the town of Skykomish sought and was awarded a grant from the Washington State Department of Commerce Public Works Board Rural Broadband grant program to partner with Ziply Fiber to upgrade the aging copper network that had been installed decades ago by a prior operator.
Ziply Fiber’s announcement comes at a time when more and more families and businesses need high-capacity internet to support the online needs of daily life in today’s world. Ziply Fiber’s ultra-fast service requires no annual contracts and has no data caps for residential users.
New and existing customers 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/skykomish. When fiber is shown as available at their address, Ziply’s existing DSL customers can upgrade by calling 1-866-699-4759.
Ziply Fiber also participates in the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), an FCC benefit program that allows qualified people to receive free or reduced-cost monthly internet service. To determine your eligibility and sign up for ACP, please visit https://acpbenefit.org.
Ziply Fiber’s goal is always to leave an area in a condition as good if not better than it was before construction began. If residents notice something has been missed, the company wants to know about it and asks that details be shared at https://ziplyfiber.com/constructioncleanup.
The work in Skykomish is part of Ziply Fiber’s commitment to building an advanced, 100-percent fiber network for both suburban and rural communities across the Northwest that have been underserved when it comes to internet access. The company has been actively building fiber 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 across its 250,000-square-mile footprint.
Ziply Fiber’s primary service offerings are Fiber Internet and phone for residential customers, Business Fiber Internet and Ziply Voice services for small businesses, and a variety of Internet, networking, and voice solutions for enterprise customers. The company will continue to support Ziply Internet (DSL) customers and its TV customers in Washington and Oregon. A full listing of products and services can be found at ziplyfiber.com.
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