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Neil Traver, Division Manager from Arizona Public Service presented plans for broadband expansion in Navajo County to the Board of Supervisors last week.
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In his presentation, Traver explained the need for broadband in the north country. “APS has always been a really big fan of supporting our communities,” said Traver, “We want to get out into the communities and do what we can to help grow and support them. Over the last few years, all of the economic meetings and committees I have been a part of have listed more reliable fiber, or broadband for the region to grow.”
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Traver continued, “Internally, for APS, we have substations and other plants that we have a purpose for bringing in fiber optic for our own systems and need our own dedicated fiber to be able to communicate with our system for security purposes and in times of critical need. We also see the need economically in the region to bring fiber in to support the community.”
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The plan, according to Traver is to complete a “loop of redundancy” for broadband access. It will provide 10,000 megabits per second, which is a vast improvement. The first phase of the project will bring broadband from Phoenix to Payson, to the Preacher Canyon Substation.
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“The next phase would then be to take it from the Preacher Canyon Substation up to the Cholla Substation (in Joseph City). That would be in 2021, and then in Phase 3 we’re going to take it from Cholla out to Flagstaff to the Coconino Substation. It creates a ring that will provide redundancy.”
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The amount of fiber available on the lines built by APS is plentiful. Traver let the board know that the “dark line,” or line not being utilized by APS, will be available for telecommunication companies for lease. Traver said, “I am a utility provider. In order for companies and hospitals, for example, to use the broadband, they will have to lease the capacity to get it to those who need it. I’m not a last mile distributor. The capacity and the data will be there but third-party vendors will need to tap in to it.”
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Funding for the project has been approved internally through APS. “We will do it in phases so Phase II will be approved next year, and Phase III the year after that,” Traver said.
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Chairperson Dawnafe Whitesinger said, “We had a regional study done and on top of that study was the need for broadband for us to be able to market ourselves to large businesses. Not only that, but like you said, supporting those organizations that already exist within the county including hospitals and school systems. Thank you for your effort in bringing this to our region.”
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Phase I of the project is expected to be completed by August of 2020.
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