December 28, 2020, Driggs, ID – Silver Star Communications is announcing the end of its 2020 construction season for the CARES Act funded Fiberhood as awarded by the Idaho Department of Commerce to the City of Driggs back in August.
Using its own employees and several construction companies from other states, Silver Star has put over 150,000 feet of conduit and fiber into the ground over the past few months. The fiber main cable now passes 690 locations, 368 of which previously had speeds under 25 MB/3 MB. “As a result of this project, the citizens and businesses of Driggs now have access to world-class internet speeds. This has been a hard year for our community, but brighter days are ahead including the opportunities that come with fiber-optic internet,” said Driggs Mayor, Hyrum Johnson.
Silver Star explained that the company was able to complete 100% of the core fiber route and a substantial number of fiber to the home and business paths before the winter weather shut down work in the ground. The company has delivered the funding documentation due to the City for state reporting and reimbursement.
Eric Gewiss, Director of Marketing and Public Relations explained, “While outside construction is halted for now, Silver Star is committed to bringing service drops to all the customers in the CARES area where fiber is now available in the Spring of 2021.”
Of the $3.4M earmarked for the project, Silver Star’s budget came in just over $2.1M including $115,000 in company match.
“What we have accomplished is nothing short of amazing,” said Barbara Sessions, Vice President, and COO. “The effects that fiber optic broadband is having on our communities is profound for the future of learning, working remotely, and providing easier access to services such as telemedicine,” Sessions added. “I’ve had so many positive comments from people who have benefited from this project and are thankful for the positive impact on their families and businesses.”
On another bright note, the company estimates that the presence of the construction crews and other project spending has resulted in about $160,000+ of positive economic impact for Teton Valley.