Meet KPUD Fiber: Giving the Kitsap County Community a Voice and a Choice

As a not-for-profit, community-owned utility, Kitsap County Public Utility District (KPUD) delivers wholesale broadband services over an open-access, community-owned fiber network to thousands of homes in Washington State. Established as a wholesale telecommunications utility in June 2000, KPUD has steadily expanded its infrastructure, now operating over 900 miles of fiber with ongoing efforts to reach even more residents.

The journey toward community-owned internet in Kitsap County began over two decades ago, when KPUD constructed a fiber ring to serve five local school districts. From there, the network expanded to anchor institutions, carriers, cellular providers, and businesses. Eventually, KPUD also began serving the U.S. Navy, which has a strong presence in the region.

But the push to bring fiber directly to residents came from the community itself. Community members began showing up at KPUD Board of Commissioners meetings asking for home internet access through KPUD. When the utility launched a survey to gauge interest, they received more than 2,000 responses in the first month, with overwhelmingly positive feedback. By the time the survey closed, over 10,000 responses had been submitted.

“There was a need, and they wanted Kitsap PUD to fill that need,” said Angela Bennink, KPUD General Manager. Using the survey data, the utility created a heat map to identify underserved areas and prioritize infrastructure projects to reach them with fiber.

“Looking back, I think it was important to do that survey for elected officials, so that they knew it wasn’t a pet project or a squeaky wheel, but that there was broad support from the community,” Bennink explained.

Today, KPUD serves over 2,300 residential connections, and its fiber network continues to grow. But that doesn’t mean the journey has been without challenges. “Financing is always a hurdle when you’re a small utility,” said Bennink. “If we had the chance to do it again, we might approach the build differently.”

KPUD initially focused on reaching the most rural and underserved areas: regions with the highest infrastructure costs and the fewest customers. While this approach aligned with the utility’s commitment to closing the digital divide, it created long-term sustainability challenges. “Those areas didn’t generate enough revenue to keep the network fully self-sustaining,” Bennink explained. “In hindsight, it may have made more sense to build to every home in a broader area, balancing higher-cost areas with more densely populated ones.”

Still, KPUD gained strong support by starting where need was greatest. “Much of the existing infrastructure in those areas was outdated, and private providers weren’t stepping up,” said Bennink. “That gave us the space and support to build. Would the response have been the same if we started in more urban areas? Probably not. Incumbents don’t want competition.”

Fortunately, KPUD has built strong partnerships with local developers who now work directly with the utility to ensure every new home is connected to fiber. “They understand the value of open access and the power of choice,” Bennink added. 

Asked what advice she’d give to others pursuing community broadband, Bennink doesn’t hesitate: “Take the risk. Take the opportunity,” she said. “Look for financing. Form partnerships. Convene your stakeholders. And above all, keep it public. There are many models where private companies build and operate the network, but the asset remains public. That way, you always maintain control.”

In Kitsap County, there was never any doubt about ownership.

“All of our infrastructure is a public asset. There was never a question - this network was always going to be publicly owned,” Bennink said.