SEATTLE — Jefferson County has been awarded a $3 million federal grant, which will be locally matched with $3.5 million in emergency services funding to support community high-speed broadband Internet.
Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke, the former Washington governor, made the announcement at a news conference at Seattle Library today. The news conference was attended by Katherine Baril, Washington State University Port Hadlock extension executive director who oversees the county’s economic development arm, Team Jefferson.
“It will wire about 30 anchor facilities,” Baril said, including the counties government entities, schools and hospital.
Baril said the grant will also lead to wireless connections, once a broadband fiber cable is laid from Port Ludlow to Port Townsend.
Northwest Open Access Network in March applied to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration Broadband Technology Opportunities Program — or BTOP — for $3.2 million.
NoaNet also announced today that it received an additional federal grant award of more than $3 million to extend open access high-speed broadband service to nearly every corner of the North Olympic Peninsula, targeting public health, safety providers and low-income individuals in particular in the city of Port Angeles.
The benefits of this broadband initiative are far-reaching and include job creation, economic investment in rural areas and high-speed Internet access to northwest Washington schools, libraries, emergency responders, hospitals, government agencies, businesses and low-income individuals.
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Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-681-2391 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.
