CHICO, Calif. — Construction is progressing on the North Valley Fiber Project, a significant initiative aimed at delivering high-speed internet to underserved areas in Butte County. The project is currently focused on the Chapmantown neighborhood, with construction having commenced on June 25 in Zone 1 and on July 21 in Zone 6. Work in Zones 2 and 3 is expected to begin in the coming weeks.
The project, which involves four construction crews with more expected to join, is part of the first phase that will eventually impact over 9,000 addresses. The first customers are anticipated to connect to the new provider by October 1.
The introduction of this new provider is intended to offer residents more choices for their internet service.
Able to change services to different companies if you don’t like the service that the one is providing very easily because it’s all going to be on one system or one network, but you get to choose which Internet service provider you’re going to have. So you’re going to be able to search out the best price and the best service,” said Joe Moralli, management analyst for the Administrative Services Department.
Moralli, noted that the most common question from the community concerns pricing. The lowest price for their high-speed service will be $40 per month, with options for more expensive plans offering higher speeds. Although some pricing details for these higher-speed options are still being finalized, Moralli expressed confidence that the rates will be “considerably lower” than those of other providers.
Moralli also shared some statistics about the project: 12,500 linear feet of conduit have been installed, 31 structures have been placed and nine zones have been approved and are ready for construction, with nine more awaiting approval. The total number of addresses in the project area is 9,039.
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