The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians is building a tribally owned broadband network in Santa Barbara County, California, using advanced fiber optic technology to address connectivity challenges and environmental risks. The project uses 10 Gigabit Symmetrical Passive Optical Network (XGS-PON) technology to deliver high-speed internet across tribal lands and surrounding areas.
Supported by a broadband infrastructure grant from the California Public Utilities Commission’s (CPUC) Federal Funding Account, the Chumash Fiber Network will provide up to five gigabits per second (Gbps) symmetrical service to residents within Chumash Tribal Lands. The network covers approximately 13 miles of underground fiber through more than 1,400 acres of ranch land known as Camp 4, where new tribal housing is being developed. The main equipment data center for the network is located at the Chumash Casino Resort.
The initiative also benefits from California’s Middle Mile Broadband Initiative, which helps upgrade existing backhaul infrastructure needed to support increased network traffic.
Passive Optical Network (PON) technology was chosen for its efficiency and scalability. This approach uses unpowered optical splitters that distribute signals without electrical equipment between the central hub and customers. As a result, it reduces both costs and potential failure points while requiring less maintenance.
David Fein, Project Manager for the Chumash Broadband Network, said: “The obvious choice was XGS-PON. Today it is XGS, and already they are testing to 10, 25, and even 50 gigabit PON. So that same 10 Gbps service will be able to be expanded to 25 and to 50, easily, over the next 20 years or so. This will enable our service to continue for the next few generations. This technology was the only way to fit the requirement – we had to bury the fiber, and we wanted it to be resilient, robust, and redundant.”
The decision to install fiber underground aims at increasing resilience against wildfires and other hazards common in the region. Although this method presented challenges due to cultural considerations and incomplete utility mapping on tribal lands, horizontal boring was used in most areas to minimize ground disturbance.
Fein added: “We decided on underground fiber, where it would be impervious to weather and the fire hazards here. The idea was that we put it in once and it will be there for several generations. We decided to put a half-life on the design of 200 years. We wanted what is available today to take us to 10 generations in the future.”
Symmetrical gigabit service is becoming increasingly important as modern households rely on uploading content as much as downloading it—a limitation with older cable or DSL connections that primarily favored downloads. With this new system in place, users can stream content on multiple devices simultaneously while working from home or attending virtual meetings.
“If you are streaming your entertainment and working from home, with kids on the internet, you are limited. Gigabit service is the only way to guarantee we have bandwidth for today and tomorrow. Every time you turn around it’s another device in your home. Cameras, TVs, tablets, PCs, phones – everything. They are all putting a capacity burden on your connection because the data is being backed up in the cloud,” said Fein.
Initially operating below its maximum capacity with room for expansion up to future technologies such as 25GS-PON—which could increase throughput simply by updating interface equipment—the Chumash Fiber Network plans conservatively but aims for long-term reliability.
