By Lisa Brown

Washington State Department of Commerce

& Jennifer Brackeen

Summit Pacific Medical Center

COVID-19 has revealed a stark, deep divide when it comes to internet access. In Grays Harbor County, for example, particularly in the east county, some residents have to drive into Elma just to check email or help their children send in homework assignments. Business can’t connect with customers. Healthcare providers see patients with serious health concerns who delay seeking help because they can’t access virtual medical care.

As the deep impact of COVID-19 becomes clearer, the Washington State Broadband Office is engaged in an unprecedented effort to ensure that everyone in our state is connected.

To help with the immediate pandemic emergency, the Broadband Office coordinated with numerous public and private partners to deploy free, Drive-up Wi-Fi hotspots in communities and publish a map of all publicly-available parking lot/street accessible hotspots in the state. (You can find the map and more information at www.broadband.wa.gov.)

But these are just band-aid measures. What we need is universal broadband access, a goal the governor and Legislature established last year. Before we can deliver broadband to all, however, we have to understand who has it and who doesn’t.

One of the first key efforts is pinpoint mapping of internet access and speeds to identify and prioritize areas of concern and gaps in service. The Broadband Office launched a speed test and access survey so residents across the state can help provide real-time data that more accurately reflects the location and quality of internet service by household.

We know Grays Harbor has significant gaps in service, but we need data to prove it to our federal partners. If enough residents in Grays Harbor complete this survey, it could be a game-changer. Grays Harbor PUD and Summit Pacific Medical Center are currently leading a coalition of partners including the Board of Grays Harbor County Commissioners, Learn Design Apply, the State Health Care Authority and the Chehalis Tribe, seeking a $3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. USDA’s Community Connect program is a $35 million fund aimed at deploying broadband in rural communities where it is not economically viable for existing carriers to deliver high-speed service. Our state Broadband Office is on a mission to help make sure Washington communities gain maximum access to this federal funding.

Your participation in the survey could make the difference in getting a grant. Residents are urged to visit www.broadband.wa.gov now and take the test on whatever device you have, including a smartphone. If you don’t have access at your home, you can take the survey from another location, such as a library or coffee shop, and input your address to record the information about lack of service and other factors, such as cost, that contribute to not having internet access. Documenting this is important for securing funding for low-income programs.

Armed with accurate data, state and local partners can be more effective in securing grants and other funding, especially from the federal government. Survey data recently helped Whidbey Telecom get a USDA grant, and we think the data will allow us to do the same here. Benefits of the proposed broadband expansion in Grays Harbor County are truly life-changing. Summit Medical Center’s patients live all over the county, some in more remote areas such as Porter and Cedarville where internet access is poor or non-existent. In addition to providing access to virtual health care across the county, expansion of broadband infrastructure in this area will enable over 450 residents and 50 businesses and farms to flourish.

Strengthening communities and sustaining a resilient economy relies heavily on ensuring adequate, affordable, universal internet connections over the coming months and years. It is absolutely essential for state and local community leaders to work together to identify and act on ways to bring strong broadband to every community throughout the state. Think about the amount of effort and resources put into building roads and bridges. We have to put the same priority on broadband.

Helping is fast and easy: Take the one-minute survey at www.broadband.wa.gov. Your participation is needed to support the community’s federal grant application.

Lisa Brown is director of the Washington State Department of Commerce, which includes the state Broadband Office. Jennifer Brackeen is Director of Care Innovations for Summit Pacific Medical Center, one of the leaders of the broad coalition of local partners seeking USDA funding for broadband expansion in Grays Harbor County.