Okanogan County awarded $30 million broadband grant

OKANOGAN – Broadband internet just got a broad boost in Okanogan County. It came in the form of money - more than $30 million -from the USDA ReConnect Loan and Grant Program that will allow more than 720 homes in the northeast corner of the county to join the online crowd.

At the August 24 meeting of the Okanogan County and Colville Confederated Tribes Broadband Action Team (BAT), John MacDonald, Okanogan PUD manager of broadband services, announced that the county has been awarded a $30.195 million grant to build out fiber optic infrastructure in the extreme northeast part of the county.

MacDonald was aware of the award about a month earlier but had to sit on the news until a formal announcement came out of the nation’s capital. That happened just three days before the BAT meeting when U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack made it official on
August 21 that $700 million in grants and loans was earmarked for 22 states to help bring high-speed internet to the underserved parts of the country, including northeast Okanogan County.

“That is one of the most rural and repressed parts of the county,” said MacDonald. “This $30 million will serve 721 homes so if you do the math, it’s about $40,000 per passing.”

As a core component of President Biden’s Investing in America initiative the grant is funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed by Congress in November 2021. A White House statement described the new law as “a once-in-a-generation investment in our nation’s infrastructure and competitiveness.”

The money is “connecting rural communities to a global marketplace,” Vilsack said.

Before than can begin, there are a few hurdles for the PUD to clear before work begins.

An environmental study that could require 12 to 18 months must be completed and approved before the release of funds allows the PUD to begin work.

“The challenge with environmental is that’s going to be on our (PUD) dime until we get a green light,” said MacDonald. “If environmental dredges up something that’s really ugly, the USDA has the option to say, ‘No thanks, we’re going to take a pass.’”

If all goes well and the funds are released the PUD then has five years to complete the project.

Brewster nears completion

Ziply Fiber, a Northwest fiber optic service that began installing its high-speed internet service here in mid-2021, is scheduled to complete its Brewster project by the end of September this year.

That was part of the message Chris St. Germaine, Ziply’s local partnership manager, delivered to the August meeting of the Okanogan County and Colville Confederated Tribes Broadband Action Team (BAT).

“The last Brewster block was awarded today,” St. Germaine reported at the August 24 meeting, adding the scheduled end of September completion.

“What we did was take an approach to break up blocks into small buildable chunks,” said St. Germaine. “We have multiple vendors/contractors working on these projects.”

St. Germaine said Ziply is also negotiating on its Tonasket and Curlew projects with the goal of having those completed by Sept. 30 as well.

“We want to beat the winter,” St. Germaine said.

Funding drive continues

Economic Alliance executive director Roni Holder-Diefenbach summarized some other funding that the BAT has secured since the group was formed in February 2019.

            • Colville Confederated Tribes - $40 million from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to expand service in Nespelem and Elmer City plus locations in Ferry County.

            • Okanogan County Electric Cooperative - $12.9 million for service in the upper Methow Valley.

            • Ziply Fiber - $3.9 million NTIA funds for Brewster, Tonasket, Loomis, and Danville (Ferry Co.)

“We’re not stopping,” added Diefenbach. “We have another application into RD (Rural Development) for Community Connect for the Carlton area and more applications that will be pursued as they come up.”

Mike Maltais: 360-333-8483, mike@ward.media