Private company proposes $4 million fiber build for Parlier; asks city for site and master encroachment agreement

Jerry Stevens, director of outside plant for Unwired Broadband, told the Parlier City Council on Nov. 2 that his company would invest $4 million to deploy an all-fiber network in the city, calling Parlier “underserved” and in “desperate need” of next-generation broadband. Stevens said the build would include roughly 200,000 feet of conduit, fiber to every single-family home, two strands to businesses and one fiber per unit in multi-dwelling units.

Stevens asked the council for two forms of help: city assistance identifying a 20-by-20-foot site to house the network’s central office (an OLT with backup power) and a master encroachment agreement granting access to rights-of-way and public utility easements. He said the network would be designed to support multi-gigabit symmetrical service from day one and would be upgradeable to higher capacities by changing equipment, not fiber.

Unwired told council it plans to coordinate with an ongoing middle-mile project and sought introductions to local developers and large property owners so multi-unit buildings could be prioritized during construction. Stevens said, if approved, the company would target breaking ground Jan. 1 and anticipate service “lit up” by summer 2024.

Council members responded positively and asked Stevens to submit the company’s requested materials and the draft master encroachment agreement ahead of the council’s Nov. 16 meeting so the item could be placed on a future agenda. The council did not take formal action at the Nov. 2 meeting but agreed staff would accept the requested documentation and prepare the item for council consideration.

The proposal outlines a private capital deployment that would rely on city cooperation for siting and easement access; Unwired said it would also install excess fiber strands for municipal anchor institutions such as City Hall, the police station and fire stations and could provide managed services if the city desired.