Colton

Fiber to the Home Project

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The remainder of the Colton exchange (town and rural) is scheduled for FTTH upgrades in 2023.  

Contractors:
Wiring Contractor - Travis Electric
Engineering Consultant - RVW, Inc.
Construction Contractor - North Central Service

Overview Video

 Colton 2023 FTTP.PNG

Project Updates

June 1, 2023

  • North Central Service has completed construction in the rural part of the exchange.
  • Two main line plow crews and one crew plowing lines to customer homes are working in town north of 3rd Street and south of the railroad tracks.
  • Travis Electric is nearly finished installing clamshells, or boxes, on customer premises. If you are in the Colton Fiber to the Home project area and do not have a clamshell or would like to get fiber plowed to your home or business as a new customer, please call Golden West at 1-855-888-7777 and ask for the engineering department.

May 25, 2023

  • North Central Service plans to finish construction in the rural part of the project this week.
  • One plow crew in town is working from 3rd Street going north. A second plow crew will begin work south of the railroad tracks.
  • Construction crews will be off from Friday through Tuesday for Memorial Day weekend.
  • Travis Electric is nearly finished installing clamshells, or boxes, on customer premises. If you are in the Colton Fiber to the Home project area and do not have a clamshell or would like to get fiber plowed to your home or business as a new customer, please call Golden West at 1-855-888-7777 and ask for the engineering department.

May 18, 2023

  • North Central Service has a crew in the rural area plowing north of Colton near the intersection of 246th Street and 465th Avenue.
  • The town plow is north of 3rd Street and east of Main Avenue.
  • Travis Electric is nearly finished installing clamshells, or boxes, on customer premises. If you are in the Colton Fiber to the Home project area and do not have a clamshell or would like to get fiber plowed to your home or business as a new customer, please call Golden West at 1-855-888-7777 and ask for the engineering department.

May 11, 2023

  • North Central Service has a crew in the rural area plowing north of the intersection of 248th Street and 467th Avenue.
  • Two crews are constructing lines to customer homes. Construction activity will be south of 3rd Street and east of Charles Avenue again this week.
  • Travis Electric are nearly finished installing clamshells, or boxes, on customer premises. If you are in the Colton Fiber to the Home project area and do not have a clamshell or would like to get fiber plowed to your home or business as a new customer, please call Golden West at 1-855-888-7777 and ask for the engineering department.

May 4, 2023

  • North Central Service started main line construction this week. The rural crew is working north and northeast of town. The town crew is moving south of the Golden West office in Colton, moving east.
  • Two crews are constructing lines to customer homes. Construction activity will be south of 3rd Street and east of Charles Avenue.
  • Travis Electric are nearly finished installing clamshells, or boxes, on customer premises. If you are in the Colton Fiber to the Home project area and do not have a clamshell or would like to get fiber plowed to your home or business as a new customer, please call Golden West at 1-855-888-7777 and ask for the engineering department.

April 27, 2023

  • North Central Service will begin main line construction next week. They will be burying fiber in the southeast part of town and also beginning at the east edge of town and working their way out of town toward the east.
  • Two crews are constructing lines to customer homes. One crew is working in the town of Colton and the second is in the rural area of the exchange.
  • Travis Electric are nearly finished installing clamshells, or boxes, on customer premises. If you are in the Colton Fiber to the Home project area and do not have a clamshell or would like to get fiber plowed to your home or business as a new customer, please call Golden West at 1-855-888-7777 and ask for the engineering department.

April 20, 2023

  • Travis Electric has technicians working in the area to hang a box, or clamshell, on homes included in this year’s fiber build.
  • North Central Service began construction on the project this week. They have a crew boring, or drilling while inserting vacant pipe underground, in the rural part of the project.
  • Two crews are constructing lines to customer homes. One crew is working in the town of Colton and the second is in the rural area of the exchange.
  • Customers who have questions about clamshell installation or upcoming construction can call Golden West at 1-855-888-7777 and ask for the engineering department.

April 13, 2023

  • Travis Electric has technicians working in the area to hang a box, or clamshell, on homes included in this year’s fiber build.
  • Weather permitting, North Central Service will begin installing lines to customer homes in the town of Colton next week.
  • Customers who have questions about clamshell installation or upcoming construction can call Golden West at 1-855-888-7777 and ask for the engineering department.

April 6, 2023

  • Travis Electric has technicians working in the area to hang a box, or clamshell, on homes included in this year’s fiber build.
  • Weather permitting, North Central Service will begin installing lines to customer homes in the town of Colton next week.
  • Customers who have questions about clamshell installation or upcoming construction can call Golden West at 1-855-888-7777 and ask for the engineering department.

January 26, 2023

Golden West Will Bring Fiber Optic Technology to the Colton and Humboldt-Montrose Exchanges in 2023  

WALL, SD – Golden West continues to expand its fiber network through the towns of Colton, Humboldt, and Montrose, including rural areas. Fiber optic technology allows for greater bandwidth and speeds, offering a more reliable and secure connection to the world for all telecommunications services including internet, phone, and cable TV (where available). 

The Fiber to the Home (FTTH) project will convert homes and businesses from copper cable to long, thin strands of glass called optical fibers, like a strand of hair. These fibers use pulses of light to transmit data and are immune to environmental factors such as electrical currents and water. The multi-year process of upgrading all Golden West customers involves burying about 14,000 miles of fiber-optic cable.  

“To put that in perspective, it equates to a cable that would stretch from Wall, South Dakota, to the southern tip of South America and back – that’s 14,000 miles,” emphasizes General Manager and CEO Denny Law. “While the effort is significant, the need is enormous as broadband access plays an integral role in our lives today, both personally and professionally.”  

Golden West will host informational open houses for subscribers in and around Colton and the Humboldt-Montrose areas who are a part of this year’s construction project. Those in attendance can learn more about the projects from Golden West representatives and can talk with contractors who will assist with the local projects. Attendees can also enjoy refreshments and register for door prizes.  

  • Colton’s open house will be held at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 16, at the Taopi Community Hall at 102 E. 3rd St. 
  • Humboldt-Montrose’s open house will be held at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb 15 at the Community Hall on 201 S Main St in Humboldt. 

Three contractors will complete the projects on behalf of Golden West. For the Colton exchange these include Travis Electric taking care of wiring, North Central Service handling construction, and RVW, Inc. covering easements, permits, and inspections. The contractors for the Humboldt-Montrose exchange include Travis Electric taking care of wiring, Anderson Underground handling construction, and RVW, Inc. covering easements, permits, and inspections. Golden West will take care of customer service. 

FTTH is a multi-stage project that can take up to a year depending on factors such as weather. Current customers will be transitioned to the new fiber optic technology after construction is complete late in 2023 or early in 2024. At that time, customers will be able to subscribe to Golden West’s faster internet speeds.  

Golden West will prepare all homes and businesses in the towns of Colton, Humboldt, and Montrose, including rural areas – even homes and businesses that aren’t current customers (with permission) – with infrastructure for fiber optic connections. This involves hanging a small box or “clamshell” on the outside of all homes and businesses within city limits and constructing the duct work underground to the box for future fiber optics. Installing these pieces during the initial fiber construction enables quick and easy connections moving forward. There is no cost to property owners for any of the construction during the FTTH project.  

Currently almost three-quarters of the Golden West service territory is served by fiber. The cooperative is committed to upgrading its entire service territory to fiber within the next four to five years. In addition to the Colton and Humboldt-Montrose exchanges, Golden West will also complete fiber projects this year in rural Custer, Enning, Maurine, and Murdo.