Spiral Internet, a Nevada City based Internet service provider has been granted the status of “utility” by the state that will allow the company to get the required ROW (Rights of way) to build a fiber optic cable network.

The California Public Utilities Commission board voted unanimously earlier this month to grant a “certificate of public convenience and necessity” the service provider updates. This approval grants them utility rights of way for construction of a gigabyte fiber optic network in the state. An ‘Internet utility’ status does not exist in the state of California. Internet access is not regulated in the state of California and hence there is no status for that service. But telephone and cable television (video franchise) service are regulated.

As part of the “telephone utility” status approval, Spiral will be obligated to offer telephone service sometime in the future. Spiral Internet can start offering telephone services once their fiber optic cable network is deployed and go live. The first phase of fiber optic cable installation would be done at a cost of around 15 million US dollars.

The network plans, announced late last year, include extension throughout a 26 square mile swath from Colfax north up the Highway 174 corridor, servicing 2,900 households and 300 businesses.

Spiral became an Internet Service Provider (ISP) in May 2006 when the Nevada County Community Network (NCCN) Board of Directors asked the then owners of Spiral, to bring new services and energies to their customer base. Later NCCN asked Spiral to provide services such as internet access, website hosting and technical support etc to over 200 NPOs and over 1500 customers, that rely on friendly, reliable Internet access, web site hosting and technical support. Spiral has provided DSL service over the AT&T network, and some dial-up service to customers. In 2015, Spiral launches the Bright Fiber Network, the first gigagibt 100% fiber optic to the home/business Internet service in rural northern California.