Fiber is Here: Celebrating a Milestone for the Santa Cruz Mountains.

On a sunny Friday afternoon in April, the Summit Store parking lot became the site of a major milestone for broadband in the Santa Cruz Mountains. We officially launched Surfnet’s high-speed fiber internet service for hundreds of rural residents, marking the completion of Phase 1 of a transformative infrastructure project.

Community members, local officials, and project partners joined us to celebrate this achievement. The event highlighted the power of public-private collaboration in bringing critical infrastructure to traditionally underserved communities.

“We’ve been working toward this for a long time, and it’s exciting to see it become real for the communities we serve,” said Ken Nye, Surfnet’s Chief Operating Officer. “This first phase is a big step, and we’re focused on continuing the momentum as we expand service to more areas across the Santa Cruz Mountains. Fiber is the foundation of where connectivity is headed, and we’re proud to help bring that future to our region.”

This launch represents years of effort to secure funding, design resilient systems, and coordinate across agencies, and it’s just the beginning.

Phase 1 locations include Apple Hill Rd., Deerfield Rd., Del Monte Way, Evergreen Lane, Forest Dr., Highland Way, Loma Prieta Ave., Mount Bache Rd., Radonich Rd., Summit Rd., Sunset Dr. and Spanish Ranch – all of which are east of Highway 17.

Phase 2 construction is now underway west of Highway 17, including Baldwin Dr., Blue Mountain Rd., Call of the Wild Rd., Gillette Dr., Greenwood Dr., Highland Way, Hutchinson Rd., Melody Ln., Mountain Charlie Rd., Norman Dr., Old Ranch Rd., Old Santa Cruz Hwy., Pineridge Way, Summit Rd., Tahama Ct., Burl Ct., Citation Dr., Citation Ct., Majestic Drive, Midpine Ct., Montrose Ct., Riva Ridge Rd. and Tim Tam Ct.