Redundant broadband cable a reality in Humboldt County; $14.4 million fiber-optic cable project launched Friday

◼ Humboldt County is less vulnerable to broadband Internet blackouts thanks to a new redundant fiber optic cable that runs along the Highway 36 corridor in Humboldt and Trinity counties. - Megan Hansen/Times-Standard

The project was completed by the San Francisco-based IP Networks Inc., which worked with Pacific Gas and Electric Company to install fiber optic cable on PG&E's poles and towers -- technically making PG&E the owner of the cable. The route follows PG&E's existing right-of-way from the Cottonwood sub-station near Redding through both the Six Rivers and Shasta-Trinity National forests to Eureka and the Humboldt Bay area.

Not only does the line provide redundancy, it also allows service connections to places in eastern Humboldt and southern Trinity counties that were either under-served or had no service. According to a press release, providers like 101 Netlink will now be able to connect communities like Wildwood, Mad River, Ruth and Bridgeville, offering service to 527 rural households over a 218-square-mile area.

The total cost for the project is $14.4 million, of which $5.7 million was provided by the California Advance Services Fund. This fund was created to provide under-served areas with universal service. It's supported by the public through a surcharge rate on revenues collected by telecommunications carriers.