State support for broadband comes through as Washington prepares to receive millions in federal dollars

It’s been a busy time for broadband, as the federal government prepares to allocate billions in infrastructure funding across the country and the states prepare to receive it. Here in Washington, the Legislature appropriated $200 million in the final capital budget for broadband infrastructure this year, including $50 million as federal grant match for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) state grants program and $150 million in federal funds for grants.

In addition to allocating funding, the budget laid out the state’s direction to the Broadband Office for administering the estimated $900 million in Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program dollars headed our way. The Office may only provide match dollars for projects where the lead applicant is a public entity. It must also establish selection criteria (in addition to the federal criteria) that give weight to projects that “provide open-access wholesale last-mile broadband service for the useful life of the subsidized networks on fair, equal, and neutral terms to all potential retail providers” and “demonstrate support from the local government or any tribal government with oversight over the location or locations to be served.”

HB 1746, the other piece of broadband legislation in the limelight this year, originally aimed to establish a statewide broadband map for use in determining connectivity gaps in Washington and directing funding efforts to build broadband infrastructure where needed most. The bill was amended significantly during the session, eliminating the plan for a statewide map in place of measures to support a more accurate federal broadband map.

Though it ultimately failed to pass, the legislation’s trajectory captured the essence of the current state of play for broadband in Washington. In preparing to receive the BEAD dollars, state and local government actors are grappling with the challenges of determining how best to deploy the funding and support the development of accessible broadband infrastructure across the state. Meeting the federal BEAD requirements, which are tied to the Federal Trade Commissions’ often incomplete and inaccurate availability data, presents one hurdle. The state must also balance the public need for broadband with the interests of private providers, who can invest in the needed infrastructure but whose anti-competitive practices leave low-resourced communities with unaffordable options to connect.

In the months to come, as it embarks on setting project criteria and aligning the state’s application process with federal requirements, the Broadband Office will conduct stakeholder engagement and public outreach. AWC will actively participate throughout and encourages cities to take part in this historic time for broadband in Washington.