A Republican lawmaker’s bill has received House support to bring more financial support to sparsely populated Washington counties needing improved high-speed internet services.
Representative Joel Kretz said for the purposes of dispersing state low-interest loan and grant packages, the legislation would define frontier counties, with less than 50 residents per square mile.
“It gives us more of a surgical ability to target specific areas.”
Kretz said the goal is to funnel state funding intended for broadband infrastructure expansion into less populated counties.
“In areas that are really underserved – low income generally – a lot of tribal folk that just don’t have any options. And I think, in the future, this will give us a much better method of getting money out to some of our most underserved communities in the state.”
The state Community Economic Revitalization Board provides financial support to local governments and federally recognized Indian tribes, financing the cost to build infrastructure to provide high-speed, open-access broadband service, for the purpose of community economic development.
The legislation is now under consideration in the Senate.
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