Last week, U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced that the State of Washington will receive $1,227,742,066 from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to help expand broadband access to areas that remain without high-speed broadband.
“The COVID pandemic laid bare just how crucial fast and affordable internet access is for all Washingtonians. But for more than a quarter of a million households in the State of Washington, broadband remains inaccessible,” said Sen. Cantwell. “This major new broadband investment will help ensure that more Washingtonians – from patients booking a telehealth appointment, to students filing an assignment, to small business owners connecting with customers – are able to fully participate in our 21st Century economy.”
“With more than $1.2 billion dollars for badly needed high-speed internet infrastructure coming to Washington state, this investment is nothing short of transformative,” said Sen. Murray. “This is the biggest investment ever in high-speed internet access and digital inclusion in Washington, and it’s going to create meaningful opportunities for families and small businesses in every part of our state, all while creating good-paying jobs and connecting communities. It’s great to see funding we passed in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law getting out the door to bring Washington state one big step closer to guaranteeing reliable access to high-speed internet for everyone.”
The funding stems from the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, which was established and funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Administered by the Department of Commerce, the program provides a block grant to the Washington State Broadband Office (WSBO), which will determine how to invest the allocation within the state.
“In 2023, affordable high-speed internet is not a luxury; it’s a necessity. With this historic $1.2 billion investment, we are going to create good-paying jobs and ensure every Washingtonian can unlock the internet’s full potential,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the leadership of Senator Cantwell and Senator Murray, we will be able to connect everyone in Washington to the full potential of the digital economy.”
The State of Washington received the tenth highest allocation out of the $42.45 billion in BEAD program funding announced nationwide. Despite the state’s relatively high overall broadband subscription rates, approximately 9% of households, or roughly 264,000 households, lack a broadband internet subscription, according to the WSBO.
The federal investment in broadband infrastructure will contribute to the Internet for All initiative launched by the Biden Administration. The initiative, which received $65 billion from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and $25 billion from the American Rescue Plan, aims to address the digital divide and expand high-speed internet access across the country.
Sen. Cantwell has been a longstanding advocate for expanding broadband access. As chair of the Commerce Committee, she played a pivotal role in including the BEAD program and the Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Grant Program in the historic $65 billion broadband investment of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. She also introduced the Grant to Rapidly Invest and Deploy Broadband (GRID Broadband) Act, which seeks to promote nationwide investment in a middle-mile backbone along existing electricity grids to provide affordable high-speed internet options.
This significant federal investment in broadband infrastructure represents a major step towards ensuring reliable and affordable internet access for all residents of Washington state.
