Trihydro developed an environmental report in compliance with National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements for Visionary Broadband’s Greenfield Fiber Optics Project, which was funded through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) Middle Mile Grant Program.
The project enhanced high-speed fiber internet availability in the Oriva Hills community and the Town of Wright in Campbell County, Wyoming, by establishing critical fiber backhauls, upgrading infrastructure, and providing wireless service to unserved residences.
The linear utility project was installed within existing county and state road rights-of-way. It included an interstate crossing and required coordination with the Wyoming Department of Transportation and local transportation departments.
Trihydro worked with NTIA to undertake the analysis, which evaluated key environmental considerations such as land use and biological, cultural, and archaeological resources. The NEPA document also analyzed several project alternatives and alignments, including a No-Action Alternative.
The analysis was originally scoped as an Environmental Assessment, but NTIA finalized new Categorical Exclusions (CE) to streamline critical projects. Trihydro adapted to the shifting regulatory environment and repackaged the NEPA analysis as an environmental report to support a CE determination.
Trihydro delivered the final environmental report on an accelerated schedule to accommodate the applicant’s construction and completion timeline. NTIA published a CE determination shortly thereafter. Visionary Broadband was the first broadband provider in the US to complete an NTIA project using Middle Mile grant funding.