The Washington State Broadband Office (WSBO) will award approximately $266 million in broadband infrastructure grants in at least two funding rounds planned for October 2021 and April 2022. The current funding round will make approximately $135 million in federal funds available with the remainder available in April 2022. Entities eligible to apply are:

• Local governments, including public ports and public utility districts,
• Federally recognized Tribes,
• Nonprofit organizations,
• Nonprofit cooperative organizations, and
• Multiparty entities that consist of at least one public partner.

Eligible projects will construct broadband infrastructure designed to deliver broadband service, as part of a contiguous network, that:

• At minimum, delivers transmission speeds of 100 megabits per second download and 100 megabits per second upload (100/100) unless impracticable due to geography, topography, or financial cost in which case speeds of 100/20 are acceptable if scalable to 100/100; and
• Is deployed in unserved areas, defined as areas lacking access to reliable (wireline connection) service at speeds of at least 25/3.

The WSBO will prioritize projects based on competitive criteria that include but are not limited to:

• Project readiness;
• Service to underserved areas that lack access to reliable speeds of at least 100/20;
• Regional collaboration;
• Last mile connections;
• Affordability for end-users; and
• Digital equity considerations on access, affordability and digital literacy.

The WSBO anticipates grant awards may range from $1 million to $25 million. Pre-applications are due October 18. By November 8, WSBO will invite qualified projects to complete the full application. Full applications are due November 29. For more information, contact Tammy Mastro or click here.