Mayor Daggett, community leaders and Wecom Fiber officials commemorate beginning of construction on high-speed, fiber broadband in Flagstaff
(Flagstaff, AZ) – Mayor Becky Daggett and community leaders gathered Wednesday morning at Flagstaff Aquaplex to celebrate Wecom Fiber breaking ground on high-speed, fiber broadband to serve Flagstaff homes, businesses and City facilities. The first customers are scheduled to come online this summer.
Wecom, an Arizona-based Internet service provider, was selected last year by a unanimous vote of the Flagstaff City Council to build multi-gigabit broadband service for 34 City-owned public facilities, including Flagstaff Recreation Center, Flagstaff Aquaplex, City Hall, public libraries, fire stations and more. The $5 million municipal fiber project is jointly funded via a $2 million City grant and $3 million privately contributed by Wecom.
“Conquering the rural digital divide is a priority for the Flagstaff City Council and this project is a game-changer for our community,” said Mayor Daggett. “With this Wecom partnership and the delivery of quality fiber broadband to dozens of high-traffic, public facilities, we are pleased to take a giant step toward our objective to bring the Internet within reach of every Flagstaff resident.”
In addition to the Internet service for City facilities, Wecom is building a 1.1 million-foot, 100% privately-financed fiber broadband network that will be accessible to nearly all of Flagstaff. The approximately $40 million project will deliver next-generation Internet for homes and businesses citywide, with project completion expected within three years.
“Wecom is thrilled to begin work on this project to deliver Flagstaff residents the fastest and most reliable fiber broadband Internet on the market,” said Wecom CEO Paul Fleming. “We thank Mayor Daggett and the Flagstaff City Council for partnering with us on this effort to eliminate the digital divide by bringing lightning-fast, affordable fiber broadband to Flagstaff residents, businesses and City facilities.”
The Wecom project will have significant benefit to the Flagstaff economy, according to Greater Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce President Julie Pastrick.
“Fast, reliable fiber Internet access is an economic imperative and necessity for Flagstaff entrepreneurs, job-seekers and business owners,” Pastrick said. “The Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce applauds Mayor Daggett, City Council and Wecom for this innovative collaboration. It’s been a long time coming, and the first customers to come online this summer should be very excited!”
Wecom is a leading provider of fiber-to-the-premises and fixed-wireless technologies across rural Arizona. In addition to the City of Flagstaff, Wecom has partnerships underway with Coconino, Yavapai, Mohave, Pinal and La Paz counties.
About Wecom
Wecom Fiber is a leading provider of high-speed broadband services, with a track record of successfully deploying networks in various regions. With offices in Phoenix, Kingman, Prescott, and Las Vegas, Wecom Fiber is dedicated to connecting communities and fostering growth through innovative technology solutions.