2021 Town Hall Meeting + Updates

 07/14/2021 -  WCCBP -  ~2 Minutes

Neighbors:

This week we have a few updates. First, we’re planning a town hall Wednesday August 18th at 5:30PM at the Brinnon Community Center   . We’re finalizing our speaker list now, but plan to share updates about all of the various projects active in our area and answer questions you have about it.

Second, we met with Mason PUD1 and Hood Canal Communications   last week, and have some good news for people in Mason County. For those of us in Jefferson County, the news isn’t as good yet. Read on for more details by county.

Mason County

Mason PUD1 and Hood Canal Communications are partnering to build fiber north from Hama Hama Oyster Co. The first step is north to Mike’s Beach Resort. The second step is an extension to the county line. The plan is to use grant money from the state to offset some of the cost. Both Mason PUD1 and HCC need community support to win the grants, including possible use of Mason County funds to make up the gap.

Please Email your Mason County commissioner   , attend the Mason County Commissioners meeting   on July 20th 2021, or Email Kristin at Mason PUD1 with your letter of support.

Jefferson County

For folks near Brinnon who get their power from Mason PUD1 but live in Jefferson County, we have a different challenge. We need Jefferson PUD to apply for grants and develop a plan to reach us, just like Mason PUD1 has done with HCC’s help. Without Jefferson PUD’s help, service could stop at the county line.

Please keep Emailing Dan Toepper (our Jefferson PUD commissioner) and/or Greg Brotherton (our Jefferson County commissioner). Ask them to help Jefferson PUD to create a plan for Brinnon, apply for grants, and find a way to reach south county. Without their support, Jefferson PUD will stay focused on north county and we’ll be forgotten.

We hope you’re enjoying the beautiful weather!

-Robert, Phil, and Jim

July 2021 - South Jefferson County Forgotten Again!

 07/06/2021 -  WCCBP -  ~1 Minute

Neighbors:

Early this summer, our broadband group started meeting with the various PUDs in our area. We were happy to hear they were starting to plan new broadband networks.

The bad news? They’re skipping us entirely: there will be no service between Mt Walker and the county line. Only the Brinnon School gets a connection.

Millions of our tax dollars will go to fast service for our commissioner’s own neighborhoods while we’re left in the dark. The PUDs made it clear - we have to get the commissioner’s attention to avoid being passed over.

We have a short window of time to change their minds. If the PUDs don’t create plans now, we can’t qualify for funding from the state and federal government. After that funding is gone, it could be a decade or more before they try again, if ever.

Please Email your commissioner as soon as possible. An example letter is here.

Please spread the word to everyone else that cares. The flyer we sent through the Brinnon Crier and posted at the community center is here. The more we can speak up, the better chance we have.

We hope you had a great 4th of July weekend!

-Robert, Phil, and Jim

Hello again!

 04/05/2021 -  WCCBP -  ~1 Minute

It’s been a while since we last spoke about Brinnon’s broadband problems. 2021 is turning into a big year for rural broadband in the county and state. Good things are coming, but we’re at risk of getting skipped over again if we don’t speak up.

We’re rebuilding our mailing list, so please sign up here to get updates. The list is open to all, so feel free to share this link. If you don’t renew, this will be the last you hear from us.

Sign up for our 2021 list

We hope your 2021 is going better than your 2020.

-Robert, Phil, and Jim

Help us bring broadband to the Olympic Peninsula

 04/05/2021 -  WCCBP -  ~2 Minutes

It’s been more than five years since a small group of neighbors got together to see how to get internet to Brinnon and parts nearby. After we started advocating for service, North Olympic Data Centers built the network we planned! (If you haven’t heard, you can check availablity and sign up here   .

We’re re-launching our group in 2021, as it’s shaping up to be a big year for broadband on the entire peninsula. The pandemic showed our local PUDs and the entire government why access matters, and how big the divide is between towns and rural areas.

Locally, Jefferson County’s PUD is getting serious about building a broadband network. The state is changing laws that banned many PUD and community projects (laws written by the big telephone and cable companies.) At the federal level, $9.2B was spent last year funding rural access, with much more likely on its way. Rumors are that more than $100B will be spent this year.

With all of the activity, we’re still at risk of being forgotten. The county’s plans only go where people already have one or more choices, and stop at Quilcene. To the south, our Mason County neighbors are left in the dark above the Hama Hama Oyster Company. Many others don’t have affordable choices. We need our collective voices to help guide all of the investment that’s coming!

To learn more, bookmark this page, join our email list, and please participate in our survey!

Take the 2021 survey

-Robert, Phil, and Jim

Rural Choices: Starlink, 5G, and more

 03/30/2021 -  WCCBP -  ~3 Minutes

If you’ve been in a rural part of the peninsula this past year, you’ve probably struggled with poor internet connectivity. This post is a quick recap of a few new options launching in 2021, what you can expect in our area, and how to learn more.

Take the survey get Email updates

Starlink Dish

Starlink Dish

Starlink has made some big waves recently, and for good reason: they’ve launched the biggest privately owned satellite constellation in the world. Their goal is to provide global high speed Internet access at a good price: $100/mo with no contract.

Unlike current satellite providers, there are no data caps or time-of-use restrictions. It’s also using a very different type of satellite, so the latency (lag) is very low.

Early reports from real customers are promising. Speeds >100Mb (up and down) are common, and many are reporting periods where it’s >300Mb.

For Olympic Peninsula residents, the biggest catch is that you need a big patch of open sky that points north. Any tall trees, buildings, or mountains block the signal. Since the satellites are always in motion, trees can result in brief outages (similar to driving while using your cell phone.) You also need to mount the dish within ~100ft of a power outlet.

That’s a major drawback for many of us. If you don’t own the trees blocking your view, don’t want to cut them, or live on a southern slope, you may not be able to see enough sky.

However, if you can see the sky and afford to pay the $600 fee, Starlink is a very promising option.

Read more about how it works   and frequently asked questions   put together by early customers.

In a few years, two other companies, Kuiper   and One Web   , expect to launch similar networks. The same restrictions on view to space will apply.

Option 2: LTE/5G “Home Internet”

T-Mobile Modem

T-Mobile Modem

After years “unlimited” data that actually had a lot of limits (or “network management”), cell phone companies are also starting to adapt. This year, Verizon   and T-Mobile   have announced new 5G-based services focused on the home user.

Unlike your cell phone or hotspot, the “home internet” product does not have caps or speed throttling. The only limit is they are tied to your address, so you can’t move the router around. Speeds can be fast enough for a family to stream video, work, and go to school at the same time.

The drawback is you’re using the same cell towers your phone does. Real-world tests report issues with slow speeds   . What’s more, while 5G is coming to existing towers, the new service doesn’t fix deadspots. Remote areas also get a different 5G that’s tuned for long range over speeds, so if you’re far from town or a tower, speeds are even further limited.

The good news is that the plans are much cheaper than Starlink. T-Mobile service officially launched nationwide in April, and Verizon is slowly rolling their new service out as the network is upgraded.

For those with some cell phone coverage at home but lacking a good broadband option, these services may be a good fit.

-Robert (the tech guy)