If you live off Wivell Road, Loertscher Road, or anywhere along the Cloquallum Road corridor in north Mason County, you have 23 days to lock in something your neighborhood has waited years for — and it costs nothing if you act before May 31, 2026.
Mason County Public Utility District No. 3 completed the mainline fiber network for the Cloquallum Communities Fiberhood on February 10, 2026. The next step is individual property connections — and the $250 construction application fee that normally covers your drop installation is waived entirely through May 31. After that date, the fee is back in full and there are no exceptions.
What the Application Actually Does
Submitting a construction application tells PUD 3 you want a fiber drop installed to your property. That drop is the physical cable that runs from the PUD 3 mainline network on your road to your home or business. Once your drop is installed and active, you choose a retail internet service provider (ISP) from the multiple options available on PUD 3’s open-access fiber network and sign up for service at approximately $85 per month.
The application itself is not a service contract — it’s a request for the physical connection. You’re not locked into a provider. PUD 3 owns the fiber infrastructure; ISPs compete to sell service over it. You can switch providers at any time without a new installation.
What Changes When Gigabit Arrives
Current broadband in the Cloquallum Road corridor runs at roughly 1.5 Mbps — legacy infrastructure that predates streaming video, remote work, and cloud-based applications. To give that context: a single standard Netflix stream requires 3 Mbps. A 4K stream requires 25 Mbps. A household with one person video-conferencing, one person streaming, and one gaming simultaneously is fighting over 1.5 Mbps total.
PUD 3 gigabit fiber delivers 1,000 Mbps in both directions simultaneously. That is not a small upgrade — it is a fundamental change in what is possible from a rural Mason County property. Work from home becomes viable. Video calls are stable. Cloud backups, smart home devices, and streaming services all work without conflict. For property owners, studies of comparable rural broadband deployments consistently show fiber availability as a property value factor — especially as remote workers increasingly prioritize connectivity alongside acreage and school access.
How to Apply Before May 31
If you received a letter from PUD 3 with your address listed as eligible, follow the application instructions in the letter or go directly to pud3.org. If you live in the Wivell Road, Loertscher Road, or Cloquallum Road Fiberhood area and did not receive a letter, that does not necessarily mean you are ineligible — contact PUD 3 directly before May 31 to verify your address. The project area runs from west of Bear Trap Boulevard east toward Rock Creek Road.
For more on how PUD 3’s Fiberhood model works and what the broader Mason County fiber buildout looks like, see When Is Fiber Internet Coming to My Mason County Neighborhood? and the full Mason County infrastructure update.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to commit to a service provider when I submit the PUD 3 construction application?
No. The construction application requests your physical fiber drop connection — the cable from the mainline to your property. Choosing an ISP and signing up for service is a separate step that happens after your drop is installed. PUD 3’s open-access model means multiple providers compete on the same fiber, and you can switch providers at any time without a new installation.
What happens if I miss the May 31, 2026 PUD 3 deadline?
After May 31, the $250 construction application fee is no longer waived. You can still apply and get fiber installed, but you will owe the full $250 upfront at the time of application. The mainline fiber in your area will remain in place — this deadline is specifically about the fee waiver, not about the availability of fiber service in your area.
I didn’t get a letter from PUD 3. Does that mean I’m not eligible?
Not necessarily. PUD 3 mails letters to addresses on its eligibility list, but some properties may be in the service area without having received a letter due to mailing database gaps. Contact Mason County PUD No. 3 directly through pud3.org or visit their Shelton office before May 31 to verify your address’s eligibility. Don’t assume you’re excluded without checking.
How much does PUD 3 gigabit fiber cost per month in Mason County?
Monthly service through PUD 3’s open-access fiber network runs approximately $85 per month. Because multiple retail ISPs offer service on the same PUD 3 infrastructure, rates may vary slightly by provider. The $85 figure is the benchmark for the open-access network; check pud3.org for the current ISP options and their specific pricing in the Cloquallum area once your drop is installed.
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