Legislature plans for high-speed internet deployment across state

March 12, 2008 

OLYMPIA - A proposal to increase broadband internet access across the state passed the Legislature unanimously today. The successful measure was forged out of companion bills Engrossed Second Substitute Bill 6438, sponsored by Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, D – Seattle, and Substitute House Bill 2559, sponsored by Rep. Zack Hudgins, D – Tukwila.

The final bill requires the development of a strategy to deploy high-speed internet access across the state, especially to underserved areas. The strategy will be developed by state agencies in collaboration with other public and private stakeholders involved in local community development and planning.

“Gaining access to broadband can make a huge difference in expanding economic opportunities and creating jobs, particularly for those not having it now, such as a small winemaker or an orchard worker in rural Eastern Washington, a student living on a small island in the San Juans, and a resident in a low-income urban area in Puget Sound,” said Kohl-Welles.

A collaborative effort from the beginning, Kohl-Welles noted that the lawmakers worked with the Communications Workers of America, the Progressive States Network, and industry representatives in crafting the bill.

State Representative and member of both the Washington Alliance of Technology Workers and Communications Workers of America, Rep. Hudgins, believes high-speed internet access increases educational and economic-development opportunities, as well as better public safety measures and improved health care. Conditions Hudgins believes contribute to a better quality of life for citizens wherever access is available.

“Rarely do we have the opportunity to change lives as rapidly and dramatically as we do with increased access to high-speed internet connections,” said Hudgins. “It means our students can visit a museum in Rome, a local business can promote its products in Tokyo, and our doctors can diagnose and treat a patient hundreds of miles away.”

In addition, the final bill contains a proposal introduced by Sen. Claudia Kauffman, D – Kent, creating the Community Technology Opportunity Program. The program will provide access to broadband technologies, as well as the training and assistance needed to low-income, disabled, and underserved residents.

“It’s important that we give all families access to what many of us take for granted. In a very real sense, the internet is an equalizer for education, careers and economic development,” Kauffman said.

State Rep. John McCoy, D-Tulalip, said the legislation represents “an attempt to bridge the digital divide between those who have broadband and those who don’t. Access to broadband is a major driver of economic development, and we need to get our folks who live in that second category across the bridge.

“Our country has fallen to 15th in the world in terms of broadband penetration,” continued McCoy, who chairs the House Technology, Energy & Communications Committee, which reviewed the legislation. “This bill is an important step toward mapping broadband as a way to figure out what areas of our state are unserved or underserved.”

E2SB 6438 now moves to Governor Christine Gregoire’s desk and awaits her signature for final enactment into law.

Added Kohl-Welles: “It’s especially exciting to have this bill pass, as Washington had been the first state in the country to provide broadband connectivity to schools and colleges with creation of the K-20 Network back in 1995.  We are now poised once again to be among the leading states providing full access to broadband deployment.”