New Retail Authority for Ports and PUDs

Under Engrossed Substitute House Bill 1336 and Senate Bill 5383, a public utility district or port district may provide retail telecommunications services or telecommunications facilities within the district’s limits or without the district’s limits by contract with another public utility district, any political subdivision of the state authorized to provide retail telecommunications services in the state, or with any federally recognized tribe located in the state of Washington

A public utility district or port district must notify and consult with the governor’s statewide broadband office within 30 days of its decision to provide retail telecommunications services to unserved areas and submit a telecommunications infrastructure and service plan. A copy of the resolution adopted by the governing body of the municipality showing intent to provide retail telecommunication service must be submitted to the statewide broadband office within 30 days of adoption.

Eligible entities must submit a plan addressing the following items to its governing body and to the State Broadband Office:

(a) An assessment of the current availability of broadband infrastructure and its adequacy to provide high-speed internet access and other advanced telecommunications services to end users;

(b) The location of where retail telecommunications services will be provided;

(c) Evidence relating to the “unserved” nature of the community in which retail telecommunications services will be provided;

(d) Expected costs of providing retail telecommunications services to customers to be served by the entity;

(e) Evidence that proposed telecommunications infrastructure will be capable of scaling to greater download and upload speeds to meet state broadband goals under RCW 43.330.536;

(f) Sources of funding for the project that will supplement any grant or loan awards AND a description of potential state and federal funding available to provide service to the unserved area;

(g) A strategic plan to maintain long-term operation of the infrastructure, and the expected installation charges and monthly costs for end users;

(h) Map and description of how the deployment of proposed broadband infrastructure will achieve at a minimum 100 megabits per second download speed and at a minimum 20 megabits per second upload speed and then increases to be consistent with the stated long-term state broadband speed goals for “unserved” areas;

(i) Project timeline prioritization of “unserved” areas; and

(j) A copy of the resolution adopted by the governing body 

For the purposes of ESHB 1336 and SB 5383, “unserved” means an area of Washington in which households and businesses lack access to broadband service at a minimum 100 megabits per second download speed and at a minimum 20 megabits per second upload speed.

Plans should be emailed to the state broadband office at wsbo@commerce.wa.gov. Download the form (DOC) needed to submit a retail authority plan. 

The plan will be reviewed for completeness. When the plan includes all information as required by ESHB 1336 and SB 5385, the State Broadband Office will post a review of the proposed project on the page below.