Map: Statewide Middle-Mile Network Project Status Map


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Construction work that has shuttered the Samoa bridge in overnight stretches will soon bring reliable broadband connectivity to the Samoa Peninsula.

“This is it! This is the long term solution to make sure the peninsula is not left behind,” Connie Stewart, Director of Initiatives at Cal Poly Humboldt, tells the Outpost.

Vero Fiber recently added conduit lines across the bridges in overnight work. By the end of the month, fiber will be pulled through.

The finalization of the leg of infrastructure on State Route 255 follows years of work to bridge the so-called “digital divide” for Humboldt County communities which have lacked reliable internet providers.

Commonly referred to as “middle mile,” the infrastructure will be an open-access line that internet service providers can later connect to to bring internet access to homes — either with direct cable or a wireless connection.

Stewart expects this to be an option for peninsula dwellers in fall 2026, possibly sooner.

“This is really designed around making sure that the peninsula gets service that is reliable,” said Stewart.

The section recently installed in the bridge is the last piece of a middle mile route funded largely by the California Department of Technology, during a historic state investment in the infrastructure.

According to a grant announcement for the work, it will bring fiber internet access to over 500 homes, businesses and public safety locations, half of which are “unserved.” The announcement put the cost of the project at $6.3 million with a $4.4 million grant from the state.

Internet service on the peninsula has been spotty for years.

There are above-ground wires that lead to some communities, while other areas rely on satellite coverage, said Dale Unea, operations manager for the Peninsula Community Services District and fire chief of the Samoa Peninsula Volunteer Fire Department.

The district’s wastewater and water communications are through cellular uplink, which can come with delays if the wind is blowing.

And above-ground internet infrastructure is subject to the peninsula’s harsh coastal environment. Overall, Unea said the infrastructure is needed.

“I just see the future as bright for the peninsula, and this is just another ray of sunshine put on the area,” he said.

One effort to bring the peninsula community of Fairhaven internet in a 2022 contest fizzled out. Bay Area-based startup Dalet Access Labs built out free internet for the neighborhood, but the California Department of Education ultimately failed to announce a winner for a $1 million prize.

Dalet Access still has installed assets in Fairhaven that will need to be recovered at some point, said Odion Edehomon, CEO of Dalet Access in an email to the Outpost.

Fairhaven could see fiber access soon — Stewart notes enough residents in a neighborhood need to sign up before installation can happen.

She said the long-term goal is to link up the bridge fiber to the Old Arcata Road fiber to create resilience around Arcata Bay and Eureka.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought to light gaps in internet access across the state. Economic disparities and a lack of infrastructure meant swaths of schoolchildren were without reliable internet access when school went online.

Stewart says it’s been six years of trying to find a permanent solution. She said broadband is an essential utility — for students going to school, for emergency services, for economic development and telehealth appointments.

“These projects that are being built right now and almost finished are going to give us that foundation to live, work, play, for generations to come,” she said.

The next exciting project for Humboldt County is middle-mile infrastructure along U.S. 101, said Stewart.