Port of Skagit Looking to Expand Internet Options for Constituents

The Port of Skagit and partners including Skagit PUD, Skagit County, EDASC, Cities of Anacortes, Burlington, Mount Vernon, and Sedro-Woolley, and Towns of La Conner and Concrete have been making headway on their efforts to develop high-speed dark fiber infrastructure for the benefit of Skagit area citizens and businesses.

On April 20th, the Port of Skagit Board of Commissioners directed staff to pursue securing a secondary access to fiber optic strands on the I-5 corridor from Vancouver B.C. to Portland Oregon, in support of the development of an open access network in Skagit County.

Port of Skagit Commission President Dr. Kevin E. Ware said, “High speed fiber optic internet is critical to the economic progress of our county. The action we took today goes a long way to bringing that about.”

In March 2017, the Port of Skagit and many local community organizations partnered on a Community Fiber Optic Network Strategic Plan to develop a countywide, carrier grade, open access fiber optic network that will deliver affordable high speed internet access to the citizens of Skagit County.

Patsy Martin, Executive Director for the Port of Skagit said, “Modern businesses looking to locate to Skagit County find many of the desired assets already in place, such as a major transportation corridor, high quality schools, quality healthcare, and many other amenities. However, one piece of the puzzle was missing – a county-wide plan to develop infrastructure for high-speed data transfer. This I-5 corridor project connects all the dots needed to develop a high speed carrier grade network.”