The Port of Columbia's broadband project took great strides forward in 2022. Franchise agreements between the Port and Columbia County and the City of Dayton were approved, and fiber cable is on-site and ready to go. The drop cables, splice cases, and other materials are ordered and will arrive in the first quarter of 2023. 

The system design has been completed, and bids for the project are due on January 5, 2023. Construction will begin in January after the Port verifies contractor eligibility and selects a contractor.

The Port will update the community at a public meeting in late January.

Three companies, Columbia iConnect, Inland Cellular, and PocketiNet, will offer internet service to customers using the newly constructed, Port-owned network. These companies have storefronts or offices in Dayton, Walla Walla, and Lewiston and employ Dayton's friends and neighbors, which supports the community and keeps dollars circulating in the local economy. The Port thanks the local companies for participating in this public and private partnership project.

The project will be completed in phases, meaning some parts of town may have service before others. The Port estimates that the entire project area will be fully operational by October 2023.

For more information on future service:

Columbia iConnect at http://www.columbiainet.com

Emerge by Inland Cellular at emerge.inlandcellular.com

PocketiNet at http://www.pocketinet.com