San Juan County is allowing Rock Island Communications to install fiber optic cable in the conduit associated with the County’s Eastsound Village streetlight project.

“Co-locating our fiber optic cable in the streetlight conduit will save businesses located in Eastsound Village a great deal on connection costs,” said Gerry Lawlor, Rock Island’s executive vice president. “And, it will help us connect those businesses more quickly.”

“San Juan County Council member Rick Hughes and County Manager Mike Thomas were instrumental in making this happen,” said Foster Hildreth, general manager of OPALCO and president of Rock Island. “It is the best use of our county and co-op resources to utilize the existing streetlight conduit for dual purposes.”

Rick Hughes added, “I strongly support OPALCO and Rock Island joining forces to bring high-speed broadband to Eastsound and to the entire county. This is another example of how San Juan County is spearheading economic development in our community and solving complex issues in cooperation with local businesses.”

Rock Island Communications provides broadband services for homes and businesses in San Juan County and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Orcas Power and Light Cooperative. For more information, go to www.rockisland.com and follow us on Facebook.