The U.S. Department of the Treasury approved $195.7 million for high-speed internet projects in Washington state.
The grant, which comes through the Treasury’s Capital Projects Fund (CPF), will connect approximately 33,000 homes and businesses to high-speed internet.
“The pandemic upended life as we knew it and exposed the stark inequity in access to affordable and reliable high-speed internet in communities across the country, including rural, Tribal, and other underrepresented communities,” Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo said. “This funding is a key piece of the Biden-Harris Administration’s historic investments to increase access to high-speed internet for millions of Americans and provide more opportunities to fully participate and compete in the 21st century economy.”
The CPF provides $10 billion to states, territories, freely associated states, and Tribal governments to fund critical capital projects. A key priority of the program is providing funding for broadband infrastructure.
With this grant, Washington state will implement three competitive broadband infrastructure programs that aim to provide reliable internet access to households. Washington’s State Broadband Office (SBO) broadband grant program will prioritize the investment of $118.5 million to provide reliable internet in communities without internet service and then to those with internet speeds below 25/3 Mbps.
Further, the state will also invest $43.7 million of their CPF award to the Public Works Board (PWB) Broadband Program, which provides high-speed internet in distressed rural counties, or areas identified as Indian country. An additional $23.8 million will be invested in the Community Economic Revitalization Board (CERB) Rural Broadband Program to expand last-mile broadband access in rural areas of the state without reliable internet.
Biden’s Investing in America agenda has delivered over $7 billion for broadband, digital technology, and multi-purpose community center projects in 45 states. Treasury began announcing state awards in June of 2022 and will continue approving state and Tribal plans on a rolling basis.
In accordance with the Treasury Department’s guidance, each state’s plan requires service providers to participate in the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) new Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). This program provides a discount of up to $30 per month (or up to $75 per eligible household on Tribal lands). Experts estimate that nearly 40v percent of U.S. households are eligible for the program.
Further, the Biden administration has secured commitments from 20 leading internet service providers—covering more than 80 percent of the U.S. population—to offer all ACP-eligible households high-speed, reliable internet plans for no more than $30 per month. As a result of this agreement and the ACP, eligible households can receive internet access at no cost. Individuals can check their eligibility and sign up at GetInternet.gov.