Rural broadband internet bill heads to Washington governor

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee’s program to help rural underserved communities get access to high-speed internet received nearly unanimous support from the House earlier this week.

The bill, which was supported by 9th District Rep. Mary Dye, R-Pomeroy, will likely head to the governor’s desk after the House passed it 97-1.

Dye said the legislation builds upon the bill she helped pass last year that allowed ports in Washington to build fiber optic infrastructure.

The current bill supported by Inslee would create a statewide broadband office — a centralized planning body to coordinate funding for broadband infrastructure and access across the state.

An overarching goal behind the legislation is to provide every Washington resident and business with access to at least one internet service provider and download and upload speeds of 150 megabits per second by 2028.

Among the office’s duties will be to work with the state Public Works Board to provide grants and loans to telecommunication companies in rural areas to build their business.

According to the bill, any grant or loan provided to a private entity must come with a guarantee the “asset or infrastructure to be developed will be maintained for public use for a period of at least 15 years.”

Dye said that requirement will increase competition in the marketplace and bring better service to rural Washington.

While Dye said she would prefer less government involvement in the private marketplace, she is happy the governor is making rural broadband a priority.

“I’m glad he is looking at the future and saying rural communities need to keep up with technology,” she said.

The office will add more resources behind the legislation Dye championed last year that allowed ports to build fiber infrastructure.

She said telecommunications companies are expensive to own and operate and entrepreneurs can have a difficult time offering a product at a price point their customers can afford.

Ports, including the Port of Whitman, have built a robust fiber optic network and can lease the network to internet service providers to cut cost, Dye said. The Port of Whitman has 17 companies on its network.

Dye said she believes creating the new office will cost somewhere between $20 million and $25 million.

Anthony Kuipers can be reached at (208) 883-4640, or by email to akuipers@dnews.com.