Phase one of the Paso Robles Fiber Optic Connectivity Project is underway. Local industrial, manufacturing and tech companies as well as residents will soon have access to higher-speed internet. The city hopes this will generate more jobs.
“We wanted to cover the main arteries, like Vine Street and Theatre Drive are certainly major streets," said Ditas Esperanza, Capital Projects Engineer for the City of Paso Robles. "Niblick Road is a major street, the downtown area is a major hub."
The City of Paso Robles is extending its underground fiber optic network through downtown as well as to five commercial and industrial job centers in the eastern and southern portions of the city.
The city was awarded a $2.4 million grant for the $3 million project in an effort to facilitate partnerships with internet service providers for lower-cost, high-speed internet access.
“It was mostly being able to provide more variety and more speed throughout the city, and it was also an interest to get the city and the businesses up and running and maybe as they thrive they will hire more people," Esperanza said.
Deprise Brescia owns Deprise Brescia Art Gallery on the corner of Pine and 10th Streets. Since opening in 2020, the art guru said she's been hesitant to let guests use her wifi because it would slow down her internet.
“We had people that would want to sit out on the patio, like the husbands that didn't want to shop and the wives that did," Brescia explained. "So they want to be out there checking email and doing stuff and it would be great if we had a solution to that because right now you don't."
The supply of fiber along 13.4 linear miles will serve approximately 2,500 businesses and over 10,000 jobs with the hopes that low-cost internet will support job retention and allow industrial, agricultural, commercial, and other tech businesses to develop.
“You have to remember that you have people from all over that are still either working remotely or they are traveling, but they need to check in, they need to check their emails," Brescia added.
The project aims to facilitate distance learning, workforce development training, and tele-med connectivity.
The project is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2025.
