Thursday, October 1, 2026
The Olympia City Council held a public hearing on a request from Ezee Fiber to build an underground fiber optic network in the city.
Houston-based Ezee Fiber is seeking a master use permit, which is required under Olympia Municipal Code Chapter 11.06, before a telecommunications company can install facilities within the city’s rights-of-way. The permit, if approved, would be valid for five years.
The hearing is the first step in the city’s process for considering the permit. However, no members of the public testified after Mayor Dontae Payne opened the hearing at a council meeting on June 23.
Olympia Engineer Jeff Johnstone said Ezee Fiber’s application has been reviewed by staff, and was determined to meet technical and qualification requirements for a master use permit.
“They will provide internet service to residents, businesses and government customers. Their services will include telecommunications, private lines and internet access,” he said.
According to the application, Ezee Fiber is seeking permission to serve the entire city. If approved, the company plans to install its own underground conduit system rather than leasing or relying on infrastructure owned by other telecommunications providers.
Johnstone said the city’s role is limited to determining whether the company meets the municipal requirements for the permit and ensuring future construction complies with engineering standards.
He said private telecommunications companies are regulated at multiple levels, including by the Federal Communications Commission, Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission, and the city’s own municipal code and design standards.
Johnstone said Ezee Fiber plans to build an underground network, installing new conduits beneath city streets before pulling fiber optic cable through the piping..
He noted that underground construction would have to be carefully coordinated because city streets already contain public utilities, such as water, wastewater and stormwater lines, as well as privately owned electric, gas and telecommunications infrastructure.
A staff report states construction would involve both open trench and bored installation of communication conduit and cable. There would temporary impacts, including construction noise and exhaust emissions from equipment.
Staff also concluded that adding another telecommunications provider could increase competition and potentially lower internet costs for consumers, benefiting economically disadvantaged households.
Council member Clark Gilman raised concerns about how city streets would be restored following the construction of the underground network.
Citing previous underground utility projects, Gilman said asphalt patches have not held up well over time, leaving uneven road surfaces. He urged the city to require more durable pavement restoration or require contractors to return later to repair any settling.
“I would hope that we would not allow an asphalt patch over that, or we would require some sort of visit again in a year,” said Gilman, adding he wanted to avoid diminishing the quality of the pavement.
With no members of the public testifying, the council voted to direct staff to return with a proposed ordinance to formalize the permit.
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Larry Dzieza
Clark Gilman is spot on. I hope the city manager has agreed to direct that this idea be implemented. Too much of Olympia has been repaved only to be torn up again shortly afterward, with poorly done repairs that don't last.
Every day while driving on Boulevard, I see cars swerving to avoid raised and recessed areas around maintenance and utility covers. Having contractors remain responsible for a year afterward is a great idea. I've seen that the City of Redmond requires a one-year bond, equal to 10% of the project's value, for public works projects.
The same requirement should apply to work done by PSE.
Thursday, July 2 Report this
36098501
I agree with Larry Dzieza and the point Clark Gilman raised.
It seems like there are several good options to remedy this problem, or simply require specific repair BMPs that are known to hold up better over time. It seems like an onerous project for the City to keep track of contractors and bonds for hundreds/thousands of road repairs across the City, so holding them to a higher BMP and specific permit requirements and inspections at the time of the repair seems more attainable with far less overhead for everyone involved.
It would be nice to also have the City hold themselves to the same street standards, as well as to keep streets at/above their own standard street score requirements. Some of Olympia's main streets are in very bad shape - very obvious lack of a long term maintenance plan.
It seems like much more often building permit reviews mentions the surrounding streets being below City scoring standards. This can result in the Permit Review Process requiring street improvements for any building permit along that road.
This effectively turns a decision by the City to purposely defer asset maintenance into a large expense item for the site owner of the project that can make the project not financially feasible. Habitat for Humanity has run into this issue along with other developers, and property owners building a house or making improvements to their property.
This should be a basic function of local government, and it deserves the appropriate attention at the top of the list of budget responsibilities. Maintenance of public assets, public infrastructure and public safety should be critical path budgeting priorities and not budget items that can easily be deferred, or crowded out, by other non essential spending decisions.
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