The Washington State Public Works Board (PWB) — using money from its Coronavirus Capital Project Fund, part of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) —has awarded communities in Island, Kitsap, and Okanogan counties a total of $5.1 million for four broadband projects.
The state said the projects are designed to improve online education, telehealth, public safety, and local economic development opportunities, while extending reliable, high-speed broadband access to unserved or underserved households and businesses across the state.
“The PWB Broadband Program stands out because it recognizes tribal sovereignty and local priorities while helping communities build the infrastructure needed to support education, healthcare, public safety, and economic development,” Dean Reynolds, PWB vice chairman, said in a prepared statement about the Washington broadband grants. “This round of funding demonstrates the value of those investments.”
The specific awards were:
- Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation: $2,630,787 to construct five miles of fiber to 205 residences and 10 commercial businesses in an area that includes three low-income housing clusters managed by Colville Indian Housing Authority.
- Public Utility District No. 1 of Kitsap County: $992,760 to expand reliable broadband access to the workforce, which has a heavy concentration in remote work, naval and defense-related employment, small businesses, and tourism-based economies. Expanded broadband will also improve access to online learning for any households with students in Washington’s North Kitsap, Central Kitsap, South Kitsap, and Bainbridge Island school districts.
- Public Utility District No. 1 of Okanogan County: $717,900 to improve the district’s broadband infrastructure to a high-speed transport network. Doing so would alleviate existing and anticipated bottlenecks along critical connectivity paths. The investment also will help with long-term broadband affordability for low-income Washington households while remaining consistent with the district’s wholesale open access mission.
- Whidbey Telephone Company, Island County: $758,553 to deliver fiber to the home network to areas throughout Coupeville without access to high-speed internet service.
Additional information about broadband in Washington, including links to state funding resources, BEAD news, grants made, state-specific Telecompetitor coverage, and more can be found on the Broadband Nation webpage for the state.
