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RHARNEYuralite ELECTRIC JUNE 2021 INSIDE >> High-Speed Internet Arrives in Rural Areas Energy Myths Busted Circles in the Sand In 2017, MiWave Internet, operated by Jeff Graham and Justin Chase, began providing high-speed internet to rural residents in Harney County, where internet service is either unreliable or unavailable. PHOTO COURTESY OF JUSTIN CHASE High-Speed Internet Arrives MiWave Internet provides broadband access to rural residents and schools By Lauren Brown Thanks to a grant from the CARES Act, MiWave Internet was able to install cell towers near four rural schools to give students access to high-speed internet. PHOTO COURTESY OF JUSTIN CHASE 4 JUNE 2021 HARNEY ELECTRIC In a world increasingly driven by streaming services, social media and the internet, it is hard to believe there are places in Harney County without reliable internet access. MiWave Internet, run by Jeff Graham and Justin Chase, is trying to change that. Jeff is a Burns High School graduate. Justin grew up in Bend. Both served in the military and then worked for cell phone companies after leaving the service. In 2015, Jeff moved back to Burns, where he discovered limited internet coverage for rural residents in Harney County. With encouragement from former County Judge Steve Grasty and former Harney County Economic Development Coordinator Randy Fulton, Jeff decided to start a company to solve the problem. He contacted his friend Justin, an entrepreneur with experience in business start-ups. MiWave Internet was up and running in 2017. In 2018, Jeff and Justin acquired the Education Service District’s wireless network and its customers through a bidding process. The two immediately upgraded the system. MiWave Internet has partnered with the county and state to build a fiber-to-home network in Burns and Hines to provide residents “We went back and removed all the old equipment and with internet speeds of 100 megabits per second to up to 1 gigabit modernized everybody,” Justin says. “We got them from 1-megabit per second. A newly acquired bucket truck, here next to employee connections up to 10- to 15-megabit connections. We were able Taron Case, will help with that construction. PHOTO COURTESY OF JEFF GRAHAM to get a lot higher speeds out to those rural places, and that has created its own momentum.” MiWave installed new cell towers near Suntex, Double O, Justin says that historically, when telephone landlines were built Drewsey and Pine Creek elementary schools. and installed, the Universal Service Fund—a tax paid by everyone “It’s going to give 100-megabit service to all four of those with a phone line—subsidized telephone service to low-income schools as well as give us the ability to serve a lot of the residents households and high-cost areas. in those areas with high-speed links with broadband,” Justin says. “From a commercial standpoint, there’s no way that building When local schools turned to distance education as a result out to cover 10 residents in a rural area would ever pay off, of the state’s COVID-19 shutdown, MiWave worked to provide but that Universal Service Fund money paid communication low-income households within Burns and Hines with broadband companies to build infrastructure into those areas,” Justin says. internet so students could finish their school year from home. Building infrastructure took decades. Fortunately, the rules have “During the middle of the shutdown, we installed 25 customers changed for internet service providers. with broadband who normally wouldn’t get it because they “It took a generation for phone lines to be built out to couldn’t afford it,” Justin says. everybody,” Justin says. “We’re now trying to do the same thing MiWave’s coverage area is from Riley east to Drewsey and south without that Universal Service Fund money, and we’re trying to do to Frenchglen and everywhere in between, including Burns, Hines, it in a very compressed time frame. It creates a unique challenge Crane and Diamond. There is a $99 installation fee. The average of getting access to funds to support the areas where there is not a plan costs $50 a month. return on the investment for the commercial community.” The business employs four people—all of whom are Burns MiWave has sought alternative funding sources to achieve its High School graduates—and is part of an internship program that goal of getting broadband internet to rural residents. provides a Burns High School student with practical on-the-job In August 2020, MiWave struck a partnership with the county experience. and state to begin construction on a fiber-to-the-home network in After a recent MiWave rural installation, a resident told Jeff Burns and Hines. This service will provide residents with internet they were able to use FaceTime—an application that allows users speeds of 100 megabits per second up to 1 gigabit per second. to make video calls—from their home for the first time. MiWave expects to offer this service to some Burns and Hines “This is stuff that a lot of people take for granted in bigger residents this year. cities,” Justin says. “We’re able to help support the rural The COVID-19 pandemic has provided MiWave with another community so residents are able to do more things than they opportunity to help the community in the form of a grant through could before. That’s been a big part of the job satisfaction that I the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, also know Jeff and I both have. It is a service to the community.” n known as the CARES Act. The grant allows MiWave to extend its microwave radio network to support four rural schools without For more information about MiWave Internet, call 541-413-3900 broadband internet access. or go to miwaveinternet.com. JUNE 2021 5 NORTHWEST GARDENING For best results, fertilize throughout the season. ADOBE STOCK PHOTO BY GLEBCHIK been amended with organic material such as compost or well-rotted manure. • Pluck off leaves at the bottom of the stem and bury in soil 5 to 10 inches deeper than it came in the pot. Additional roots will form along the stem. • As the plant grows, remove branches To successfully grow tomatoes, plant starts where they will get a good six hours of sun. The and leaves close to the ground to help plants also need plenty of room for air to circulate. ADOBE STOCK PHOTO BY DIEDOVSTOCK prevent soil-borne diseases. • Give plants plenty of room so air can circulate and sunlight can penetrate. This Learn to Grow Big, will result in more vigorous plants that can more easily fight off diseases or pests. • Use a strong tomato cage or trellis for Beautiful Tomatoes support. • Start fertilizing about two weeks after Nothing drives vegetable gardeners to Tomatoes are either indeterminate planting with a 5-10-10 or 5-10-5 mixture. distraction like the elusive quest for a ripe or determinate. The former ripens Feed according to package directions about crop of tomatoes. There’s the fickle weather throughout the season, while determinate every three weeks until fruit ripens. to consider, diseases to battle and insects can be harvested all at once for making • Don’t wait for soil to dry out to thwart. such things as sauces and salsas. completely between waterings. Irrigate “Everyone wants to grow tomatoes,” In colder climates, growing tomatoes deeply every two to three days, more often says Amy Jo Detweiler, a horticulturist with protection is necessary because of the on particularly hot days. with Oregon State University’s Extension possibility of frost at any time of year. • On side stems with no blossoms, Service. “It’s a universal food people tend If you don’t have a greenhouse, use pinch them off at the V where they meet a to like.” a cloche or row cover. When plants are main stem. This forces energy to develop Wanting to grow them and actually young, use water rings, found at garden the fruit rather than plant foliage. n doing it are two different things. centers. Water rings have channels of water For detailed information and canning recipes, When shopping for tomatoes for shorter that collect heat during the day and reflect refer to OSU Extension’s guide to canning growing seasons, Amy Jo recommends it to plants at night. Covering the soil tomatoes and tomato products at https:// catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu/pnw300. buying those with 60 to 70 days to matu- around plants with plastic sheeting also rity rather than 70 to 100. will help. Kym Pokorny “Some of those are Legend, Early Girl Amy Jo offers these tips for growing is a communications and Siletz, all developed by OSU,” she says. tomatoes: specialist for Oregon State Cherry tomatoes such as Sun Gold, Select sturdy plants. University’s Extension • Service. Previously, Kym Gold Nugget and Sweet Million ripen early • Put in a plot that gets a good six worked for The Oregonian, and are a good bet for beginners. hours of sun. most notably covering Big, beefsteak types can be challenging. • Plant in well-drained soil that has gardening and horticulture. 8 JUNE 2021 CUT YOUR UTILITY BILLS ADOBE STOCK PHOTO BY JENKOATAMAN Drilling Down: Four Cordless Gifts for Dad If the dad in your life enjoys Power Drill If your family uses an old gas sink. A flashlight often comes home projects, rechargeable As one of the most used power trimmer around the yard, it’s as part of a cordless tool set, or tools are an excellent gift idea. tools, a drill should be every- time for a change.

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