FREDONIA — The Kaibab National Forest (KNF) is considering authorization of a new fiber optic line between Fredonia and Jacob Lake, Arizona. The need for high-speed internet connections grows as new technologies require faster and higher-grade services. As such, the USDA Rural Utility Services Reconnect program helps rural utilities expand and keep their technology up to date by increasing bandwidth and communications capabilities. South Central Utah Telephone Association Inc. (a.k.a. SCUTA) is making high-speed internet affordable by participating in the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Affordable Connectivity Program and is proposing to install buried fiber optic line in rural northern Coconino County.
Location: The proposed route for the buried fiber optic line installation is from Fredonia, AZ; thence south-southeast along FS Road 22 to FS Road 462; thence east along FS Roads 462 and 461 to AZ State Route 67 (SR 67); thence north along Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) rights-of-way for SR 67 to the Jacob Lake development area; and then north again along ADOT’s HWY 89-A rights-of-way to four (4) communications towers/sites, then terminating at the ADOT maintenance yard located on the NKRD (see map).
Description: Installation of a buried fiber optic cable/system from Fredonia to Jacob Lake, AZ along Forest Service Roads and within highway rights-of-way. The network will benefit 24 residences, a farm, several businesses, as well as state and federal agencies who own or manage land in this area. The project crosses some private parcels, as well as lands managed by three agencies (state of Arizona, Bureau of Land Management and U. S. Forest Service).
Approximately 86,011 feet (~ 16.3 miles) of the project is proposed to be located upon the Kaibab National Forest – North Kaibab Ranger District. The remainder of the route/line (approximately 140,131 feet) would be within FS Road 22 rights-of-way across Bureau of Land Management, state of Arizona, and private lands. The total disturbance on the National Forest Systems Lands rights-of-way would be 39.5 acres (20-feet wide x 16.3-miles) for construction, installation, and on-going operations and maintenance associated with the fiber optic system.
Additional information about the project, including a map, can be found at the following web link: https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/kaibab/?project=64884
District Ranger Randall Walker invites public comment about the proposed fiber optic line, and is considering application of the following categorical exclusion to authorize the project on the National Forest Systems Lands [36 CFR 220.6(e)(2)]: “Additional construction or reconstruction of existing telephone or utility lines in a designated corridor.” If interested, please submit your written comments by August 30, 2024, by email to comments-southwestern-kaibab-north-kaibab@usda.gov; by mail to P.O. Box 248, 430 S. Main Street, Fredonia, AZ 86022; or fax to 928-643-8105. For questions, contact David Vincelette at David.vincelette@usda.gov or by phone at 928-643-8143. Click here for a PDF of this news release.