The recent Rural Broadband Workshop featured numerous resources, grants, and programs for local governments seeking greater digital inclusion. Held in mid-September, the workshop brought together city officials, county commissioners, legislators, agency representatives, and small business owners from rural towns and communities.
Broadband access can bring communities together with enriched student learning, improving the costs and access of health care, and encourage entrepreneurship and small businesses to be more competitive online. Broadband increases intergovernmental engagement and collaboration, enables quick access to emergency services, and increases home values and community sustainability. Speakers offered their own success stories with implementing broadband in their rural communities and an overview of the new Washington State Broadband Office. In the afternoon, participants created their own “broadband action teams” and created action plans for their communities.
Click <atarget="_blank" href="https://www.rd.usda.gov/files/Washington_Rural_Broadband_Workshop_Olympia_Program.pdf">here to access the workshop’s program, and <atarget="_blank" href="https://www.rd.usda.gov/files/Washington_Rural_Broadband_Workshop_Olympia_Presentation.pdf">here to access the workshop’s presentations.</atarget="_blank"></atarget="_blank">