Two bills aim to expand public broadband in Washington, but there’s a hitch
‘It’s such drama, I’m telling you. I’ve never been in this situation before,’ one lawmaker says. By Melissa Santos, Crosscut
Share: Michael Moore, an information technology construction coordinator, is seen with an explanatory board about telecommunications services at a co-location data center inside Grays Harbor Pubic Utility District s headquarters in Aberdeen on March 4, 2021. Two bills approved by Washington s Legislature would let public utility districts offer broadband to retail customers. But there s some confusion about how the bills would interact. (Matt M. McKnight/Crosscut)
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May 21, 2021 6:16 AM Crosscut.
May 17, 2021
Washington state went all in on expanding public broadband this year. So much so, that the Legislature passed two different bills aimed at extending high-speed internet to people in rural areas.
It’s possible, however, that two bills aren’t better than one. And they may partly cancel each other out.
Now that Gov. Jay Inslee has signed both measures into law, confusion is mounting about whether the two laws can co-exist.
And that debate may end up in court.
Both House Bill 1336 and Senate Bill 5383 give public utility districts and ports new authority to offer broadband internet. The idea behind both bills is to have those public entities offer broadband in remote areas where private companies don’t operate because it’s not cost effective.
Two bills aim to expand public broadband, but there s a hitch
Melissa Santos
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Washington state went all in on expanding public broadband this year. So much so, that the Legislature passed two different bills aimed at extending high-speed internet to people in rural areas.
It’s possible, however, that two bills aren’t better than one. And they may partly cancel each other out.
Now that Gov. Jay Inslee has signed both measures into law, confusion is mounting about whether the two laws can co-exist.
And that debate may end up in court.
Both House Bill 1336 and Senate Bill 5383 give public utility districts and ports new authority to offer broadband internet. The idea behind both bills is to have those public entities offer broadband in remote areas where private companies don’t operate because it’s not cost-effective.
Boomer Consumer
State report and more funding for broadband will help state reach its broadband goals By Rita R. Robison on April 29, 2021 at 10:26 PM
The Washington State Legislature approved new broadband and digital equity investments in the session that ended Saturday.
The Department of Commerce’s Broadband Office was launched in 2019 to meet a legislative requirement that all Washingtonians have access to high speed internet by 2024.
In the office’s first report to the legislature, the Broadband Office-focused on preparing local communities and tribes to compete for new levels of broadband funding and expanding digital equity efforts that make sure lower-income and older populations aren’t left behind.