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Grant PUD staff have recommended transitioning the utility’s current “Active-E” ethernet technology for to-the-home fiber-optic service with industry standard “passive optical network” or PON technology for a more cost effective and scalable service with greater longevity.

IT Manager David Parkhurst told commissioners last week the PON technology would use a lot of the same infrastructure as the existing network, the PUD said in a release, but it would mean lower maintenance and operation costs, faster upload and download speeds, better cyber security, and longer lifespan. PON technology is now the industry standard and focus of research and development.

A small pilot program launched in August placed PON-based network-access boxes at 20 Grant PUD customer locations. Parkhurst said all customers have been satisfied with the service.

Across the Grant PUD fiber network, customers’ need for more network capacity for streaming, internet access and communications doubles every two to three years, Parkhurst said. Grant PUD’s existing Active-E technology has not been upgraded to handle those speeds. Private-sector competitors in other areas are already offering faster speeds, he said.

Fiber officials expect to complete the buildout of the Grant PUD fiber network by November 2024. They’ve already begun upgrading the core network components that would also work with the PON technology and focusing on an aggressive, ongoing plan for network maintenance and improvements for more reliability and resiliency.

Currently, 73% of customers who have access to Grant PUD fiber, actually take the service through various retail services. The goal for 2024 is to up that number to 80%.

They haven’t yet determined the cost to upgrade to PON technology for all 30,000 users, Parkhurst said.

Pointing to the upgrade’s advantages laid out by staff, Commissioner Larry Schaapman encouraged Parkhurst to get them a cost “sooner, rather than later.”

Commissioners also unanimously agreed to postpone until their next meeting, Jan. 23, their vote on Resolution 9041, a proposed 3% average rate-revenue increase, starting April 1. Commissioners will further discuss the proposal at a commission workshop, Jan. 16, from 10-10:30 a.m. in the boardroom at Grant PUD’s Ephrata Headquarters. They’ll also accept public comment at that time.