Local tribal-owned carrier to build fiber to nearly 2,100 locations after USDA award

Michael Scully, general manager of Fort Mohave Telephone, told the Needles City Council on March 28 that his company has been awarded a 50% loan/50% grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service to construct fiber-to-the-premises across roughly 7.5 square miles serving up to an estimated 2,100 homes and businesses.

Scully said the project will include about 40 miles of new fiber and a network designed to support symmetrical service (same up and down speeds) that can scale to 10 gigabits in the long term. Initial consumer plans will range from 100 by 100 Mbps up to one gigabit; installation, in Scully’s presentation, will include free home installation, a managed router at no charge, no-contract terms and ‘‘truly unlimited’’ data. He also described an app-based video service rather than traditional cable.

The company, which Scully said is majority owned by the former Mohave Indian tribe in a public–private partnership with Dobson Telephone, indicated it is working through permitting and environmental clearances, and said BLM permits are in place. Scully told the council the award was officially announced on July 28 but could not be revealed earlier while federal partners prepared their own announcement. He said the firm is ‘‘turning it up’’ and moving toward contract execution and construction once city steps are complete.

Scully also highlighted consumer-facing features: 24/7 tech support, an online customer portal, ACP (Affordable Connectivity Program) enrollment support, and bundled services with an app-based video offering. On the operational side he described features such as CommandIQ for home network management and ProtectIQ for malware and security protections included in the package.

City members asked procedural questions about permitting and coordination; Scully said the company has completed environmental approvals and will coordinate with city staff on remaining steps before construction begins. He emphasized the project’s value for tourism, business and long‑term community development.

Next steps described in the presentation include finalizing contracts and beginning construction once remaining administrative steps with the city are completed. No specific construction timeline beyond permitting and contract readiness was provided.