By David Haerle
The Daily World
Efforts to improve broadband expansion and internet access along the Highway 12 corridor continue in the East County.
Despite recently being tuned down for a pair of grants, the Grays Harbor PUD is simply regrouping to try again.
Early in the fall of last year — in a joint effort — the PUD and Summit Pacific Medical Center applied for $1.5 million in state Public Works Board grants to begin those fiber-expansion efforts.
But according to PUD spokesman Ian Cope, that initial application was tuned down.
“We did not get those grants we applied for from the Public Works Board. (The project) was not deemed ‘shovel-ready,’ “ said Cope, “but we will resubmit our application.”
Toward that end, the Grays Harbor PUD has selected Magellan Advisors to conduct a broadband feasibility study that will explore the options for bringing high-speed internet service to the communities of Oakville, Porter, Malone, Cedarville, South Elma and the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation.
That study is currently in progress, and when complete should get the project to the point of being “shovel ready” for the next round of grants, said Cope.
Magellan Advisors’ team will work with the PUD to examine opportunities that leverage existing broadband infrastructure and deploying new infrastructure in the region. Magellan and the PUD are currently seeking community input about current and future broadband needs through an online survey and stakeholder focus groups. Magellan will also conduct comprehensive market and infrastructure assessments to further examine the opportunities for expanding access.
“There will be outreach made by Magellan through a number of different avenues to learn about people’s connectivity issues in the area,” Cope said.
The final study will serve as a blueprint for the PUD to deploy additional fiber-optic and wireless infrastructure. Magellan will work with the PUD to develop an overall broadband strategy that includes digital inclusion and funding strategies to bolster the communities along the Highway 12 corridor — an area that has been under-served for internet access for years.
In January of 2019, Gov. Jay Inslee announced his “broadband for all” proposal, setting a goal for high-speed broadband connectivity to all of Washington state by 2028. He created a statewide broadband office, and the state construction budget passed by the Legislature included $21.5 million for rural broadband funding, about $7 million in grants and more than $14 million in loans.
The feasibility study is being funded through a $50,000 Public Works Board grant.
