Oasis Partners with Tahoe Timber Trails to Help Close the Internet Gap in Nevada County California
Has there been a day where you haven’t paid a bill online, read the news on your mobile, checked in on social media, researched a website, or joined a conference call? For most of us, having access to reliable, high-speed internet to get us through our day is something we take for granted. But in rural and remote communities like Russell Valley, Dog Valley, and Klondike Flat, reliable internet just isn’t available. Until now.
Oasis is committed to closing the broadband gap for these underserved communities, who have largely been ignored by cable and DSL providers. Thanks to Nevada County’s 2021 Last Mile Broadband Grant, we’ll soon be able to provide service to those three sub-communities in the northern reaches of Eastern Nevada County.
With the funding from the grant, we’re investing in a permanent broadband infrastructure. And with the help of Tahoe Timber Trails, a member-owned, not-for-profit campground, we have a place to build our tower.
Tahoe Timber Trails is 150 acres of mountains and valleys located in the Tahoe National Forest near historical Hobart Mills and has been in business for more than 50 years. It’s the perfect location.
Our team of engineers spent the summer and fall of 2021 searching for the appropriate sites to relay the signal to the three communities when we came upon the seasonal RV park—who were also in need of internet for its residents.
Andy Spry, manager of Tahoe Timber Trails, says having connectivity will bring members “peace of mind and hopefully extend their stays.” Spry says their members are getting younger and include families with children. Having access to reliable broadband means parents and adults can work remotely, making it possible to extend their stay and still attend to life’s demands.
The decision to work with Oasis to allow the infrastructure to be constructed on their site was put to a vote by the board—who said yes! They signed the agreement in October of 2021 to use the property as the site location for the one-hundred-foot tower. Thankfully, there is already an ideal location on the property for the tower, which due to tree cover, will make it unseen to most.
The foundation for the tower will be poured in the spring after the snow melts. Once the foundations are complete, the tower will be erected and outfitted with the necessary telecom equipment with service expected in the second half of 2022.
Already anticipating how reliable broadband will change the way the park does business, Spry has plans to “overhaul the website, use modern electronic funds transfers, and transition their park communication from one way to two.”
Spry is proud to be part of the big picture; being a part of something that helps entire communities in the area. “It’s one of the reasons we’re happy to partner with Oasis.”