The middle mile portion of the Project is divided into five segments. Segment 1 runs from the existing fiber optic connection with Siskiyou Telephone in Orleans to Weitchpec. Segment 2 connects Weitchpec and Wautec along Highway 169, while Segment 3 connects Segment 2 to Segment 4 along Bald Hills Road. Segment 4 runs from Elk Camp Fire Station and the intersection of Johnsons Road, where Segment 3 terminates, to the town of Orick, and terminates at the new Orick Tower. Segment R5 connects the first four segments to the existing fiber optic network, running from the Orick Tower to the “meet-me” point. There will be “last mile” connections along all five segments. It is called “last mile” because it connects individual customers (commercial, institutional, and domestic) directly to the broadband fiber optic network.
The project will supply last mile high-speed broadband access to 7 first responder agencies, 19 other anchor institutions, and 616 residences in the communities of Orick, Orleans, Johnsons, Wautec, Weitchpec, and possibly other neighbors and businesses, along with Segments 1 through 4, where 295 households are unserved, and 321 households are underserved. The last mile will largely be supplied wirelessly, utilizing existing towers to broadcast the signal in Orleans and along the Klamath River in the Yurok Reservation. It will also utilize a new tower to be built in Orick as part of this Project. Some anchor institutions will receive a direct fiber connection.