Digital 299 Broadband Project

Welcome to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) website for the environmental review of the Digital 299 Broadband Project. Vero Fiber Networks, LLC, a certified telecommunications service provider, is proposing to install fiber optic cable in northern California extending from approximately Eureka to Cottonwood. The proposed alignment will generally follow California State Route 299 (SR-299).

The Project is under review by CPUC in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The CPUC is also coordinating with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Districts 1 and 2; the State Lands Commission; the Department of Fish and Wildlife; the State Water Resource Control Board; and County and local agencies, among others.

The proposed Project was also subject to review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Federal agencies partnering with the CPUC on the environmental review of the Digital 299 Project include the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Forest Service (USFS), Bureau of Reclamation (BOR), the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and National Park Service (NPS).

This site provides access to public documents and information relevant to the permitting, CEQA review, and construction of the Vero Fiber Networks Digital 299 Project.

PROJECT STATUS

The Digital 299 Project is restarting after being on hold in 2020. Agencies held public meetings and scoping for the Project in 2019. The Project was then placed on hold during a change of ownership. The new Project Proponent is Vero Fiber Networks, LLC.

Under the new ownership the Project will remain largely the same, following the same proposed route and construction methods. The California Public Utilities Commission remains the Lead Agency for CEQA compliance and permitting. The U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Bureau of Reclamation, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are coordinating together under NEPA.

Public scoping for the Digital 299 Project took place during the week of July 22, 2019, in Redding, Lewiston, Weaverville, and Eureka, California.

The Project Newsletter provides Project information including Project Need, Location and Facilities, Environmental Analysis, Project Timeline, Opportunities to Comment, and the times and locations of the Public Scoping Meetings.

BACKGROUND

Project Description

Vero Fiber Networks, LLC, is proposing to develop a fiber optic network in the Northern California region to provide rural connectivity and redundancy across the region, improve safety for travelers and first responders and stimulate economic development. The proposed Project would support long-term connectivity for rural communities in the area, which have been identified by CPUC as unserved or underserved.

Project Location

The Project alignment generally follows the SR-299 corridor, with some portions sited along county, city and USFS roads. In total, approximately 300 miles of fiber optic line will be installed in buried, underground conduit. The proposed alignment proceeds from Eureka through Willow Creek, Weaverville, and Redding, terminating in Cottonwood; the Project includes connection lines spurring off of the backbone to serve nearby communities.

A Project Overview map is available here.

Environmental Review Process

Because the Project requires federal actions (e.g., grant of right-of-way from BLM, special use permits from USFS, etc.), it must be in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and other relevant regulations, including the CEQA.

Transcon Environmental, an environmental consulting firm, has been retained to perform NEPA and CEQA compliance activities, including resource studies and the preparation of a joint NEPA/CEQA document. The NEPA/CEQA document will consider potential effects of the Project on the environment, including physical, biological, social, economic, and cultural resources.

Project Timeline

Data collection and technical studies took place through Fall 2019. Public comments were accepted through the scoping period, which was open until August 12, 2019. Open-house-style scoping meetings were held along the route; meeting details are included in the Project Newsletter linked above.

There will be an opportunity for the public to provide comment on the NEPA/CEQA document- expected to be published in the Fourth Quarter of 2021.

Public Comment

The CPUC and its Digital 299 federal partner agencies released the EA/ISMND for 30 days of public comment on January 3, 2022. Comments are due on February 3, 2022.  The Digital 299 Project EA/ISMD and all of the Appendices are available by clicking on the link below.

• EA/ISMND can be found by clicking here.

AB 52 Consultation

Pursuant to Assembly Bill 52 (AB 52) and Public Resources Code Section 21080.3.1, the CPUC sent formal notification letters to California Native American Tribes that have requested, in writing, to be informed about proposed projects under review by the CPUC. In addition, notification letters were sent to organizations and individuals identified by the Native American Heritage Commission as traditionally and culturally affiliated with the geographic area of the proposed Project. All of these Tribes and Organizations will be notified of the restart of this Proposed Project.

Additional Information

Additional information will be posted as it becomes available. The CPUC, through its Environmental Review Team, has conducted an environmental review of the project. For more information on the Project, please contact: