Digital 395’s fiber line will run underground along Highway 395.
For some, time is marked by when the Digital 395 project goes into operation. It promises major, expanded and high speed internet service that will impact businesses, government agencies and individuals. According to Michael Ort of Praxis, the company in charge of construction, the project is going in like it should.
Ort said that two different contractors have gone to work on the project. The construction started in Coleville and Bridgeport on the north and Barstow in the south. He said crews will work as long as they can in northern Mono County until weather moves in. Ort said that the crews are also placing cable in the Carson City and Reno areas.
Construction in Inyo County will start later where the weather is not a factor. Work started in Barstow the second week in August. Crews are working toward Kramer Junction.
Ort said, “Our plan is to work our way into Ridgecrest by December.” He said following that, the fiber cable will go along Highway 395 in Inyo County. Ort said work in Inyo should go fairly fast since there are not heavy rocks alongside most of the highway.
Ort called the current construction a “two directional effort.” He repeated that Praxis has the option that if construction is snowed out in Mono, they will concentrate on southern areas.
Does he think they will hit their planned schedule? Ort said, “I’m pretty optimistic.” Digital 395 got the official go-ahead to construct at the end of July. The federal government provided $80 million for the project and the state contributed $20 million. It is scheduled for completion next year.
California Broadband Cooperative will own and operate Digital 395 along with Praxis. CBC CEO Robert Volker said his non-profit organization plans to offer high-speed internet service to 237 critical institutions in the Eastern Sierra including schools, hospitals, libraries, public safety and government buildings. He said once the network is in place next year, consumers and businesses should see immediate benefits through local service providers who will have greater broadband capacity and be able to expand.
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Digital 395,more dreams to come true. Love the the internet. Love the freedom to find sites like this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7woVTuN8k3c&feature=relate
I can’t even begin to know what the benefits to our local institutions and all our neighbors and friends this project will mean in our futures here in the Eastern Sierra. Increased capacity and increased speed is the IT future and we are being served. Information, communication and knowledge is so important in so many ways and an improved access is on the way.
Even though you are getting paid for your labors I have to say thanks to all of you in trenches and offices who are working on this project. You are what I think is what the American dream and American responsibility is all about . I like to see my taxes as small as they are, paying for things like this. Who ever, in whatever government program, to me this is like putting money into my savings account and makes me feel like a philanthropic contributor.People posting like K. Warner who is the Yodo of the Eastern Sierra and C. O. Jones, the S. Colbert are perfect in their info and wit. So much to be thankful for. Living in America . Living in the Eastern Sierra
“The federal government provided $80 million for the project and the state contributed $20 million”
So does the Eastern Sierra now become part of the 47% That Mit Romney was writing off?
Hard to disagree with that but I want both… Until teleporters come in existance the Internet can’t get me to LA or Vegas in an hour.
There’s no flights to Vegas from MMH.
And you can’t get to L.A. in an hour. It takes an hour to get to MMH and check in and board. Then it takes another hour or more to get out of LAX in a rental. Then you have all the gridlock around LAX.
From the time you lock your door in Mammoth until you open your door in L.A. is going to be at least 3-4 hours and cost you twice as much as driving. I think. That’s just my uninformed estimate.
Anybody have any real numbers?
D395 is a thousand times more important than “The Airport”.
AGREED
Ken- what benefits will a novice user like myself see with this board band stuff? I’m not even sure what board band is.
You will be able to get a decent connection for one thing. Verizon DSL connections are real hard to get and SuddenLink doesn’t have the best reputation. And the competition will (hopefully) force prices down.
The big benefit will be to support the possibility of web-centric businesses who need a fast connection. Hopefully, that will attract high-tech businesses to the area.