What is this New Pink Area? The In-Betweens
In order to meet federal funding rules and timelines, the PUD had to separate the purple grant funded area (Olympic Fiber Corridor) into a 
separate project area. The purple area has to be completed within a very short window, and will be constructed first. The pink area has a little more flexibility and will be completed after the purple.
That’s the bad news, the good news is construction in the pink “In-betweens” areas will go much faster than the purple. That’s because most of the work in the pink areas involves running fiber along side streets and plowing directly to homes (as opposed to along 101 or Center Rd). The bulk of the work to get fiber to the pink areas will have been done during the construction to the purple.
Another benefit? The State of WA gave us an additional $6M to connect the residents of the pink area, making 500 more homes eligible for fiber installation at no cost.
Sign-ups in the pink area have been strong from the start, so make sure to let any neighbors know that they need to register ASAP if they want to have fiber installed at no cost. Over 44% of area residents are already on board. After we reach 60%, any new additional signups will likely have to pay $750 to connect.
One thing I forgot to mention: Site Visits! Before we can install the drop fiber to each and every one of your homes, PUD staff will need to come by and map out the best route. If we can follow the electric cable from a pole to the house, the install will be very straightforward. In most cases, it won’t be that easy. Instead, we’ll be contracting with a crew to plow in the cable across your yard, alongside a paved drive, or up the center of gravel drive, through the woods, or some combination of each. Plowing cable involves running a moderately heavy machine over the ground to cut a very narrow trench in the earth. It’s much less invasive than a mini-excavator but will have an impact on landscaping.
A couple of notes about the site visits:
1) Site visits will not be scheduled. We have around 500 properties to cover in a short amount of time, making it impossible to do by appointment. If you are receiving this email, you have signed up for fiber, and we’ll be coming by sometime in the next few months to map the route. If you have any concerns or special information that can help our process (like the location of a septic field placed right between the house and the street), please send an email to broadband@jeffpud.org.
2) The fiber will most likely end up a few feet from the meter (if the meter is installed on your home or business). If the meter is not on the home or was placed in location that has become hard to access, the fiber path will default to the simplest and shortest unobstructed route.
3) Drop fiber mapping is an estimation process. There will be time to make limited adjustments immediately before and during the installation. Also, unlike the mapping, you will be contacted before plowing begins in your area.