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Blue Peak Fiber proposes underground gigabit network, pitching 3-year buildout in East Grand Forks
Summary
Representatives from Blue Peak Fiber told the City Council they plan an underground fiber-to-the-home expansion in East Grand Forks, offering symmetrical 1 Gbps service starting at $55/month and estimating roughly a three-year citywide build once a franchise agreement is approved.
Blue Peak Fiber representatives on Tuesday outlined a privately funded plan to build an underground fiber-to-the-home network across East Grand Forks, saying the project would be rolled out in distribution areas and could take about three years to complete.
"My name is Lucas Peterson with Blue Peak Fiber Internet," Lucas Peterson told the council as he described the company's service tiers and build approach. He said the company offers symmetrical residential speeds from 1 gigabit to 5 gigabits and that the entry-level 1 Gbps tier starts at $55 per month. "Those speeds are symmetrical," Peterson added, noting that equal upload speeds were important for households and businesses.
City staff said a cable franchise ordinance already exists in the city and that a franchise agreement specific to Blue Peak would be drafted for council approval before construction begins. Peterson said Blue Peak would perform a high-level design after a franchise is approved, work with city engineering on permitting, then do walkdowns and phased construction by distribution areas (about 400900 homes per area) and activate service as each area is completed.
Peterson described the company's community engagement and communications plan: mailings and postcards at 30 days, 10 days and about two weeks before construction; door tags three days before crews; yard signs during construction; and biweekly construction meetings with the city to track progress. He said the company is privately financed and emphasized local field technicians and a local Grand Forks office for service response.
Council members asked about the timeline for a franchise agreement and the sequencing of build areas. City staff said an initial draft review is underway and a one-to-two-month turnaround on the franchise language was reasonable, with the total network buildout likely near three years depending on permitting and coordination with city infrastructure projects. Peterson said Blue Peak typically coordinates routes around planned street projects so construction is not duplicated.
The presentation also covered customer installation: fiber will be run to a neighborhood box, and customers who pre-register will have a short trench or temporary line run to their house for final connection once the service area is active.
The council did not take a formal vote on a franchise at the work session; staff said a franchise agreement would be brought forward for council approval as the next step in the process.
