Thursday, March 28, 2024

UTC top honor

PUD broadband honored with Apex Award

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OKANOGAN – The national spotlight was on the Okanogan PUD last month when the Utilities Technology Council (UTC) bestowed its top honor, the Apex Award, on the local utility’s broadband department during the UTC Telecom and Technology Conference in Fort Worth, Texas, June 19.

The prestigious nationwide award given annually by the UTC to a single utility recognizes innovative projects that accrue demonstrated benefits and a positive influence on the community.

Rob Kahrmann an account manager for PUD vendor Walker and Associates nominated the Okanogan utility and cited the many benefits its high-quality broadband, a rural-area rarity, brought to the region’s residents and economy.

“The PUD is using wireless and fiber technology both wisely and actively to make the Okanogan Valley a desirable place to live and do business,” Kahrmann’s letter said.

The PUD cannot sell services at the retail level, so there are multiple retail service providers who connect the network to the consumer with fiber and wireless, said the PUD’s Communications Relations Coordinator Sheila Corson in a media release.

“The broadband department is launching a new website on which customers interested in direct fiber or wireless can add themselves to a map, and as interest becomes greater in a particular area, the PUD can look into extending service that way,” said Corson. “Extending service can be a costly prospect, but if clusters of neighbors decide to share the costs, it can be much more manageable. Customers can access the site at www.okpudfiber.org.”

The PUD’s 500-mile-plus fiber backbone carries a 100 gigabit per second (Gbps) capability that allows virtual class access for schools, telemedicine for hospitals, telecommuting for workers and connections with family for the area’s migrant population.

Back home the PUD Commissioners met June 24 and, with the concurrence of Ron Gadeberg, Director of Power Resources and Broadband Services, voted to add a third technician to the broadband team to help them keep up new connections and upgrades as well as maintenance and emergencies.

In other business the commissioners were updated by Construction Design Manager Allen Allie on district projects including the Winthrop and Twisp substation tie-in, due for completion July 1, a month ahead of schedule. The new substation will establish redundancy for the entire Methow Valley through the Loup and Pateros-Twisp transmission lines.

Energy Services Coordinator Kim Johnson reported on the district’s two-year contract with the Bonneville Power Administration up for renewal Oct. 1, and a community solar project under study.

The commissioners also recognized three customer service representatives for their years of service; Rene Scott, 15 years, Jayna Hubbard,5 years, and Claire Carlton, 5 years.

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