Sources: FBA/Cartesian Fiber Deployment Cost Annual Report 2025 (US medians and middle half); FBA/Cartesian 2023 (West); CTC Technology & Energy / IMG Rebel, Fiber for San Francisco, Oct 2017 (SF Board of Supervisors); FCC 18-111 (make-ready).
Real construction charges in California
One-time construction charges that California schools and districts filed in E-Rate. These are funded requests with the route length and cost on the public record.
| Where | Built by | Feet | One-time | Per foot | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madera County CA | Pacific Bell Telephone Company (AT&T) | 7,922 | $37,424 | $4.72 | FY2024 |
| Merced County CA | AMS.NET, Inc. | 500 | $7,267 | $14.53 | FY2025 |
| El Dorado County CA (rural) | Pacific Bell Telephone Company (AT&T) | 20,000 | $141,509 | $18.68 | FY2024 |
| Merced County CA | CVIN, LLC (Vast Networks) | 2,360 | $80,000 | $24.54 | FY2025 |
| Merced CA | CVIN, LLC (Vast Networks) | 25,500 | $528,360 | $33.90 | FY2025 |
| Weitchpec, Humboldt County CA (rural) | Hunter Communications & Technologies LLC | 1,760 | $63,495 | $36.08 | FY2025 |
| Modesto CA | WaveDivision Holdings, LLC (Astound) | 990 | $15,750 | $37.91 | FY2025 |
| Le Grand, Merced County CA | AMS.NET, Inc. | 1,500 | $85,828 | $57.22 | FY2025 |
| Sacramento County CA | Zayo Group, LLC | 21,547 | $1,452,686 | $67.42 | FY2024 |
| Chowchilla, Madera County CA | K S Telecom, Inc. | 5,000 | $413,578 | $75.20 | FY2025 |
| Folsom/Rancho Cordova, Sacramento County CA | Zayo Group, LLC | 3,571 | $285,180 | $79.88 | FY2024 |
| Solano County CA | Zayo Group, LLC | 146,361 | $12,719,080 | $86.90 | FY2025 |
| Santa Clara County CA | Zayo Group, LLC | 1,904 | $140,000 | $133.37 | FY2025 |
USAC E-Rate FRN status data (special construction fields). Every row is a public funding request; the request numbers are in our data file.
How a fiber build works
- RequestCarriers check how far their fiber is from you.
- Site surveyRoute, poles or trench, and how the fiber gets into the building.
- QuoteA monthly price plus a one-time construction charge.
- Permits and make-readyCity permits and pole work. Usually the slowest step.
- ConstructionPlacing and splicing the fiber.
- Turn-upTesting, then handoff to your equipment.
Already on a carrier's fiber, AT&T quotes 10 to 20 business days. Anything needing permits or pole work runs months.
Operator notes
Underground costs a bit over twice aerial before anyone touches a pole: $18/ft against $8/ft at the 2025 national median.
A $30,000 construction charge for 1,000 feet of city street is inside the documented range. California schools paid about $38 to $133 per foot for short urban runs in FY2025 filings.
Ask whether the route crosses a moratorium street. San Francisco won't issue an excavation permit on a block repaved in the last five years, so the carrier bores, reroutes or waits.
Poles look cheap until make-ready. The FCC and CPUC clocks alone run 103 to 163 days, and PG&E quoted Santa Cruz $20,000 per pole replacement.
Budget roughly 40% on top of the digging. The 2025 FBA survey puts engineering at 15%, make-ready at 14% and permitting at 10% of a typical project.
Prices from public E-Rate contracts (USAC) and Lightyear's published guides, as of Sept 2026. 100gig's operator sells circuits through Tel-One, which may earn a commission on your quote. That doesn't change these numbers. How we get paid