Forest Service Approval of the Digital 395 Middle-Mile Project
BISHOP, Calif., May 24, 2012 – On Wednesday May 23, Forest Supervisor Ed Armenta signed a Decision Notice and Finding of No Significant Impact for the Digital 395 Middle-Mile Project. The selected alternative is to install, operate, and maintain approximately 49 miles of underground fiber-optic cable on the Mammoth, Mono Lake, and White Mountain Ranger Districts of the Inyo National Forest. The selected alternative is part of a 593-mile network of middle-mile fiber-optic cable and associated infrastructure from Barstow, California to Reno, Nevada. The purpose of the Digital 395 Middle-Mile Project is to improve local internet services and provide diverse routing between northern and southern California and southern Nevada. Installation of the fiber-optic cable is expected to begin in the summer of 2012 and be completed in 2013.
The Decision Notice/Finding of No Significant Impact and Environmental Assessment are available for review at the Inyo National Forest Supervisor’s Office, 351 Pacu Lane in Bishop, or on the internet at http://digital395.com/environmental_assessment_final.html.
The decision is subject to appeal pursuant to regulations at 36 CFR 215. Appeals must be filed (postmarked) within 45 days of the date the legal notice of this decision is published in The Inyo Register. The legal notice of decision is expected to publish in The Inyo Register on May 26, 2012.
Please contact Forest Planner Susan Joyce at (760) 873-2516 if you have questions about the project or appeal procedures.
The California Bandwidth Cooperative (CBC) is the managing entity. It is funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. That was the source of funding for our Lakes Basin bike path and that’s turned out pretty well. http://www.digital395.com/index.html If you read the overview: “The project’s service area encompasses 36 communities,… Read more »
Mammoth Will get availability from digital 395 , weather or not Verizon will use some of the new bandwidth Suddenlink will be doing so. Last mile providers will not be limited to Verizon. In the Sierras we have , Verizon, suddenlink and Shat for non cellular internet. For other wireless… Read more »
The interesting part will be after construction is complete and Praxis fades off into the woodwork. They are a construction company only and will not be the owner operator. Who will be? Every one who uses the bandwith created by the line. The users will form a co-op who will… Read more »
…but after reading a little about Digital 395, I find myself wondering how exactly D-395 will become available to me. The trunk line runs along 395 but how is that going to be connected to me. I’m a Verizon customer. Is Verizon going to use D-395? I see mention that… Read more »
Internet providers like Verizon and the cable company will arrange to use the additional bandwidth provided by D-395. That’s how it will get to all of us. BK
But Verizon is also said to be installing a fiber optic cable between Mammoth and Bishop. I wonder how those two separate projects interact. Will D-395 subsume Verizon’s project? Verizon wanted to string the cable above ground and that was being objected to. The best outcome would be to have… Read more »
Ken,Where did you hear that Verizon is to string a new Fiber from Bishop to Mammoth? Verizon completed that project a few years ago. That is the fiber that got cut by the milk truck last month. Wendy at the times wrongly reported that the Verizon fiber was not complete.… Read more »
You are probably right and I am no doubt confused. The information I’ve been able to find says that the existing cable is near obsolete being a patch work. There has been some contention about the section through Swall Meadows which I guess is now done. That apparently was completed… Read more »
The various suits that the Sierra Club and other organizations opened against the development plans at the Mammoth Yosemite Airport were to refute the Findings of No Significant Impact issued by the FAA. And eventually, the FAA reviewed their original finding and refuted it’s original assessment because the airport layout… Read more »
Verizon has no stake in this construction of Digital 395 from my knowledge. If Verizon wants to tap into a node that is their choice. The project is the California Broadband cooperative not affiliated with Verizon. Verizon will be a customer. I think you are refereeing to Verizon’s own fiber… Read more »
This is great news going forward. I wonder is my understanding correct that now there will be a comment and challenge period to this FONSI. I remember all too well about these things for example the Mammoth lakes airport. Some environmental group challenged the that FONSI report. I hope the… Read more »