A proposal to bring high-speed internet to every community in Washington is working its way through the state Legislature.
Gov. Jay Inslee introduced the idea in June 2018 during a 3-day tour of communities with unreliable internet coverage or no access at all.
His proposal would establish a Statewide Broadband Office to coordinate public and private partnerships, with a special focus on connecting rural and tribal communities to high-speed internet access over the next decade.
Senate Bill 5511 and House Bill 1498 would expand "affordable, resilient broadband service to enable economic development, public safety, health care, and education."
The bills would not provide free high-speed internet to households, but make broadband service widely available and more affordable to remote parts of the state. In areas not served by private internet providers, the state could authorize a public utility department to distribute broadband service.
The Broadband Office would oversee a grants and loans program to accelerate the installation of high-speed internet, according to Washington State Wire. The bipartisan House bill passed through the House Capital Budget Committee in February with a unanimous vote.
Sen. Shelly Short, a Republican lawmaker in Washington's 7th Legislative District, is one of the bill's sponsors. Her district includes rural areas of Ferry and Stevens counties and parts of Spokane and Okanogan counties. Short said much of her district is under-served by private internet providers.
"It's not a luxury," Short said. "It's a critical service." Short referenced last year's wildfire season and the struggles faced by wildland firefighters trying to coordinate a strategy.
The Colville Tribe spans 1.4 million acres in north central Washington, an area lacking reliable high-speed internet access. Susie Allen, an elected member of the Colville Business Council, said broadband is "an essential utility service the same as sewer, water and electricity."
Allen said students on the reservation deserve a high-speed internet connection to complete assignments, online tests, and pursue higher education courses.
The Colville Tribe is also seeking more reliable access to healthcare for tribal and non-tribal residents in the region.
"In short, we are asking for necessary, critical, and even life-saving communications systems that we lack in this rural and remote part of Washington," Allen said. "This is not for just a few people, but for thousands who have for too long gone without basic, reliable, and efficient broadband communications."
Allen and Sen. Short both referenced how high-speed internet access is often taken for granted in more metropolitan and highly-populated areas. State Rep. Zack Hudgins, a Democrat in Washington's 11th Legislative District, is sponsoring House Bill 1498. He said broadband service is truly a statewide issue.
"I have found that even in parts of my district that are in Seattle, the internet speeds can be less than desired," Hudgins said. "There is also a real equity issue when it comes to who has access to affordable high speed internet. I see it as similar to the effort to bring electricity to every home in America."
Hudgins, Allen, and Short all expressed optimism that at least one of the broadband bills would become law.
"When I worked at Amazon.com many years ago, I saw how incredibly the internet could change lives – especially in rural or remote areas," Hudgins said. "It could open up the world for educational and economic opportunities. Communications, education, economic development all will be affected and improved with more affordable, accessible high speed internet."
Senate Bill 5511 and House Bill 1498 are both scheduled for an executive session this week.
Editor's note: The above video explains a new flat antenna that could provide broadband service anywhere in the world. The Redmond-built Kymeta antenna aims to provide internet anywhere you can see they sky.
