Communities from the coast to the Idaho border will benefit from the investments
The Washington State Broadband Office (WSBO) infrastructure team recently toured Broadband Infrastructure Program (BIP) projects across the state to monitor the critical work connecting rural communities to high-speed internet.
“Broadband is no longer something communities can do without,” said WSBO Interim Director Joseph Williams. “The funding we distributed across the state will be transformational for these communities as they use these new connections to access jobs, health care, education, and all the other benefits broadband internet can bring.”
The BIP is a $283 million grant program launched by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) in 2021 to fund partnerships between states and internet service providers to deploy broadband infrastructure in un- and underserved areas. The program expands internet access areas without service, with projects focusing on building backhaul, middle, and last-mile networks.
WSBO awarded $30 million in BIP last-mile fiber and last-mile wireless grants in July 2022 to rural service providers in Ferry, Jefferson, Kittitas, Okanogan and Stevens counties. That work is now resulting in connections going live. All of the BIP grant work is expected to be completed in 2026.
View a map of BIP projects across the country.
Part of the grant process requires on-site monitoring. Joining Williams on the site visits were WSBO’s infrastructure team, including Broadband Infrastructure Programs Manager Jason Freeze, Broadband Infrastructure and Finance Manager Chelsi Wickersham, Infrastructure Program Manager Connie Riviera, and Broadband Infrastructure Specialist Nicholas Zehrung. NTIA monitoring staff William Dixon and Geoff Jordan joined the tour to see the work in person. Each project varies depending on the exact needs in each community, with a common theme of building new broadband infrastructure to improve connectivity in rural areas around the state.
Read about the projects:
The Northern Hood Canal Fiber Extension project is a major effort to deliver future-proof, high-speed fiber to the Home (FTTH) broadband service to un- and underserved areas along the scenic Highway 101 corridor
Hood Canal Communications (HCC) is leading the work. This critical expansion, fueled by WSBO’s BIP grant award, will close the digital divide for hundreds of residences and businesses.
Project funding and scope
The project is supported by a $15.3 million grant award and a $489,000 match, with the funds dedicated entirely to capital expenditures for constructing the robust new fiber network.
The project involves two main construction phases:
- Last-Mile FTTH Network: Building the FTTH network along Highway 101 from Triton Cove State Park to Brinnon. This is the network that directly connects users.
- Middle-Mile Extension: Constructing approximately five miles of middle-mile fiber to extend HCC’s current facilities to the Mason/Jefferson county line, providing the necessary backbone connection for the new service area.
Once complete, this new infrastructure will connect 862 locations to qualifying broadband service, including:
- 834 households
- 25 businesses
- 3 community anchor institutions
Technical build-out and installation
The Northern Hood Canal Fiber Extension is an intricate construction project that deploys a cutting-edge network using a hybrid approach of aerial and underground installation methods.
Aerial fiber deployment
A significant portion of the network involves aerial installation, which uses existing infrastructure:
- Fiber over-lashing: Two 144-count fiber optic cables will be deployed by over-lashing them for feed and distribution.
- Utility pole attachment: New aerial fiber will be secured to existing utility poles belonging to Mason PUD No. 1, a key partnership that streamlines the deployment process.
Jefferson County Public Utility District No. 1 (PUD 1) is moving forward with the Olympic Fiber Corridor Broadband project, a major infrastructure initiative. The project, designed to enhance high-speed internet access across parts of the county, will receive $2.8 million in grant funds, bolstered by a $4.4 million matching local investment. This combined funding is earmarked for the capital expenditure necessary to bring modern broadband to underserved areas.
Project scope and scale
The Olympic Fiber Corridor project represents a comprehensive effort to build a robust, PUD-owned fiber network. It leverages the PUD’s existing infrastructure, utilizing its electric utility assets and rights-of-way.
Key physical components of the project include:
- Fiber installation: Construction of approximately 109 miles of overhead fiber optic cable and 120 miles of buried fiber. A specific section of buried fiber will be constructed on Carl Johnson Road in Quilcene.
- Core infrastructure: The installation of core electronics essential for network operation. These components will be housed in new huts constructed on PUD-owned property at the existing electric substations in Discovery Bay and Quilcene.
- Network technology: The construction will result in a 10G XGS PON-based open access network. This modern, scalable technology can deliver superfast internet speeds.
- Customer connections: The PUD will install necessary customer electronics at each connection point to ensure homes and businesses can use the new service.
Speed and connectivity targets
Olympic Fiber Corridor’s goal is to bridge the digital divide by providing reliable, high-speed service to previously un- or underserved locations. The new network will offer minimum broadband speeds of 150/150 Mbps (megabits per second), ensuring a substantial upgrade for connected users. The architecture will make 1/1 Gbps (gigabit per second) and faster speeds available, positioning the network to meet future demands for decades.
Once complete, this new infrastructure will connect 1,478 locations to qualifying broadband service, including:
- 1,433 households
- 37 businesses
- 8 community anchor institutions
WSBO staff, including Broadband Infrastructure Programs Manager Jason Freeze, Broadband Infrastructure and Finance Manager Chelsi Wickersham, and NTIA monitoring staff William Dixon and Geoff Jordan, visited a rural broadband site in Ellensburg with NoaNet and City of Ellensburg staff.
The City of Ellensburg’s Fiber Extension and Fixed Wireless Broadband project will help eliminate the broadband gap in rural Kittitas County. With $438,000 in grant funding and a local match of $145,000, this initiative is set to bring high-speed internet to nearly 500 unserved households northwest of the city limits. This investment marks a significant step in the City of Ellensburg’s commitment to providing modern connectivity across the greater Kittitas County area.
The project is a hybrid deployment, combining the high capacity of a fiber-optic backbone with the expansive reach of fixed wireless technology.
Project scope and infrastructure
The project’s core involves extending the city’s fiber-optic network to power a new wireless base station.
- Fiber backhaul: A new five-mile stretch of 96-count fiber will be constructed, extending from the existing city fiber network to a wireless broadband radio site at the city’s water well, about five miles northwest of Ellensburg. This route was chosen to leverage existing city-owned easements and infrastructure, streamlining deployment and reducing costs. Crucially, the excess capacity of the 96-count fiber will ensure that future fiber services can be extended to other unserved areas in the county.
- Fixed wireless deployment: A 110-foot tower will be erected at a water well site to facilitate 360-degree wireless coverage. This tower will host the radio equipment, using the new fiber connection for high-capacity backhaul.
- Last-mile connection: The network will utilize wireless links from the base station to connect remote premise devices at identified households in the service area.
Public-private partnership for service delivery
The City of Ellensburg will retain ownership of the network infrastructure. It partnered with Central Connect LLC, a local Internet Service Provider (ISP), to manage and deliver the fixed wireless broadband service to residents.
Central Connect LLC will operate the fixed wireless stations on frequencies ranging from 3.65 to 80 GHz. These stations are designed for scalability and serve varying capacities from several hundred subscribers to small remote stations, with expansion contingent on backhaul capabilities.
High-speed service for rural residents
The new infrastructure will deliver high-speed symmetrical service, significantly improving connectivity for the targeted rural community:
- Fiber connection: Households located directly along the new five-mile fiber run will be able to connect to ultra-fast symmetrical speeds of up to 1 Gbps.
- Wireless connection: Households connected via the fixed wireless service will receive minimum symmetrical speeds of 50 Mbps, a substantial leap for residents currently classified as unserved.
WSBO staff join Ziply staff for a tour of the Ziply BIP project in Brewster.
Communities in rural Okanogan and Ferry counties are on track for a massive upgrade to their digital infrastructure thanks to WSBO’s $3.96 million grant award to Ziply for its Connecting Rural Counties project. With a matching commitment of $1.3 million, the total investment exceeds $5.26 million to deploy a state-of-the-art fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) network, bringing reliable, high-speed internet to thousands of residents and businesses in previously underserved areas.
Project scope and community impact
This critical infrastructure investment addresses the digital divide in north-central Washington, ensuring that rural homes, local businesses, and essential community services gain access to qualifying broadband. FTTP technology brings fiber optic cables directly to the user’s location and is considered the gold standard for speed, reliability, and future-proofing connectivity.
The project will expand access to 2,391 locations in the two counties:
Okanogan County (Loomis, Tonasket, Brewster): 2,217 locations
- 2,145 households
- 53 businesses
- 19 community anchor institutions
Ferry County (Curlew, Danville): 174 locations
- 160 households
- 8 businesses
- 6 community anchor institutions
A rural site in Colville that is receiving broadband service from a BIP award to Declaration Network Group.
Residents in northern Stevens County will see their internet speeds rocket up with the Declaration Networks Group (DNG) Stevens County Broadband Deployment project, a combination of fiber optic and advanced fixed wireless technology.
The project is backed by a total investment of $8 million, including a grant award of $7.5 million and a local match contribution of $600,000. These funds are dedicated to capital expenditures for building the critical broadband infrastructure.
Project scope and technology
This deployment focuses on delivering fast, reliable internet across a vast region. The project strategically uses a hybrid network model to maximize coverage and speed.
Declaration Network Group’s fiber supplies for the Colville and Stevens County BIP project.
100% Fiber-optic backbone
A significant component of the plan involves the construction of an 84-mile, 100% fiber-optic cable network along Highway 25. This Fiber-to-the-Home infrastructure will serve several key communities, including Northport, North Kettle Falls, Marcus, areas near Powell and Bossburg, Marble, Spirit, and the unincorporated communities of Deep Lake, south to Goldfield Mill, Aladin, and from Pinkeney City to Colville.
Hybrid fiber and fixed wireless deployment
The network will leverage a combination of fiber-to-the-home and fixed wireless connections, which is the standard approach in areas with more challenging terrain or dispersed populations. This technology approach maximizes coverage while maintaining high performance.
All connections deployed under this project are designed to provide customers with symmetrical connection speeds up to 1 Gigabit per second (1 Gbps), ensuring residents have access to modern broadband capable of supporting remote work, education, telehealth, and streaming entertainment.
Impact on Stevens County residents
The Stevens County Broadband Deployment is focused on bridging the digital divide for rural residents. The project’s service goals are targeted exclusively at more than 1,100 residential customers without access to qualifying broadband service. With over a thousand homes set to gain access to gigabit-capable internet, this project is a pivotal step toward enhancing the quality of life and economic opportunity for families in rural Stevens County.