Middle Mile Private Public Partnership Brings Broadband to Nevada
Nevada’s rugged beauty is celebrated in the state’s official song which paints a vivid picture of “mountains towering high” and a place where the “desert meets the hills.” The diverse landscape is a source of pride, but it also presents unique challenges, particularly in terms of Internet connectivity.
While more than 99 percent of Nevada residents have access to broadband service at or above the FCC standard according to research for the Nevada Governor’s Office of Science, Innovation, and Technology (OSIT), only 66 percent of Nevada’s rural areas enjoy the same level of service. Nevada ranks 35th in broadband connectivity among all 50 states.
Zayo is tackling Nevada’s digital divide head-on with its $153-million middle mile network project. We’re building over 800 miles of fiber optic infrastructure to enable broadband access in communities across the state. This initiative will connect 40,000 unserved or underserved locations throughout Nevada – from homes and hospitals to schools and community anchor institutions – thanks to creative funding allocations from Nevada’s Office of Science, Innovation, and Technology (OSIT), supported by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) U.S. Department of Treasury.
Here’s how Zayo is addressing the unique geographical and logistical challenges of the middle mile infrastructure build in Nevada with a powerful combination of creativity and collaboration.
Nature’s challenges
Low population density is a hurdle to providing broadband service in some parts of Nevada. Though it’s the seventh largest state, Nevada ranks thirty-second in population size. Remoteness is another issue, with an average distance of over 50 miles between cities along Nevada’s major rural corridors. This sparse subscriber base makes it tough for ISPs to justify the high cost of building last-mile infrastructure to reach them.
Nevada’s topography presents its own particular challenges, especially when installing fiber in the ground.
“Probably the biggest terrain issue we’re having is right along I-80 between Reno and halfway to Wells. It literally has a cliff on one side and a river on the other side. It’s a two-lane road and the right of way is fairly minimal. Plus, dealing with rocky soil and cliffs is no fun when you’re trying to bore underground,” says Sonya Roshek, Director of Long Haul Implementation at Zayo.
Due to this unique terrain, buried fiber installation costs $22 to $35 per foot in Nevada according to OSIT research, much higher than the national average of $15 to $20.
Regulatory and permitting challenges
To install fiber, Roshek’s team must also navigate various regulations involving tribal lands, environmental impact, wildlife protection, historical conservation, and archeological preservation. This requires permits that fall under state, local, or federal jurisdiction.
“No state other than maybe Alaska has as much federal land as we do,” notes Brian Mitchell, director of the Nevada Broadband Office at OSIT. “Nevada is about 84 percent federal land. That presents a big challenge because everywhere we go, especially with the middle mile project, you’re dealing with a whole host of permitting processes across multiple federal agencies.”
Besides permitting issues, there’s also a time crunch at play since federal grant funding for parts of the project expires by the end of 2026.
“Getting environmental and other approvals could take as long as six to nine months or up to a year-and-a-half, which puts us right at a point of serious issues with construction,” Roshek explains.
Creative problem solving
If anyone can calmly steer this complex project toward completion, it’s Roshek. Long before joining Zayo, she oversaw fiber ring telecom installations for the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. It gave her valuable experience in collaborating with multiple stakeholders to solve complicated problems.
When it comes to Zayo’s middle mile construction project for the State of Nevada middle mile, Zayo’s problem-solving strategies include:
- Land acquisition or land easements if necessary for construction
- Getting approval to widen roads if required in certain locations (like the tricky cliff-and-river terrain mentioned above)
- Obtaining permits in a timely manner to avoid delaying construction
- Adding overtime for construction workers, if required, to keep the project within deadlines
- Updating stakeholders at federal, state, and local levels on construction changes as they evolve
- Soliciting feedback on parts of the project from all three levels of government within deadlines
“It’s a multi-pronged approach,” says Roshek. “We’re on weekly phone calls with the Department of Transportation, the Bureau of Land Management, the Army Corps of Engineers. It’s literally about picking up the phone, making a connection, understanding their needs and desires, and then trying to figure out how our mission and their mission can align.”
At the state level, OSIT is helping Zayo set up preliminary meetings with various stakeholders to explain details of the middle mile plan, gather feedback, and discuss possible mitigations that may be necessary.
At the federal level, NTIA created a memorandum of understanding so the middle mile project can apply for a category exemption if construction stays within major right of ways and doesn’t have any major environmental or wildlife impacts. “But [federal agencies] still have a review period and they still also have an opportunity to comment” throughout the exemption application process, Roshek adds.
And of course, Zayo consults closely with stakeholders in local communities, where the middle mile has the potential to boost digital equity and drive economic transformation the most.
“Some of the local Internet providers are already talking to us to figure out where they can connect to the main broadband. We’re working with each of the local communities as we go through these towns, which require permitting and right-of-way sign-off. About every 2,500 feet we’re providing what we call handhold access so that if there’s a local community close by, they’re able to access it at those points,” says Roshek.
In the end, Roshek says the benefits of the middle mile broadband project for Nevada’s underserved communities will make all the challenges worth it.
“We’re leveling the playing field across all of the U.S. so that ultimately, everyone from school-age kids to businesses will be able to have access to broadband.”
Disclaimer:This communication was prepared by Zayo Group using funds under award 32-40-MM339 from the National Telecommunications and InformationAdministration (NTIA), U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC). The statements, findings, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NTIA or DOC.