The Clallam County Public Utility District will bridge the digital divide in the coming years, extending its broadband reach to the county’s most rural reaches, east and west.
And the Jamestown S’Klallam and Makah tribes will one day have faster broadband Internet for their community health care, educational and business services.
The extension of broadband will be the result of an $84 million federal stimulus grant given to expand the Northwest Open Access Network, or NoaNet, a nonprofit created by public utility districts that have linked their fiber-optic networks together.
Both Clallam and Jefferson PUDs are longtime members of NoaNet.
The grant will be used to add a total of 830 miles of fiber and eight new microwave sites to the high-speed network, said Commerce Secretary Gary Locke when he announced it Monday in Seattle, along with U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Freeland.
First round of funding
It is part of the first round of federal economic stimulus funding the Obama administration has designated for rural broadband.
Jefferson County government entities are now banding together to apply for “round two” grant dollars to build a broadband backbone loop between the Tri-Area and Port Townsend.
The money from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration Broadband Technology Opportunities Program will allow NoaNet to expand its broadband fiber-optic infrastructure to underserved areas in Washington, said Fred Mitchell, board president for the Tacoma-based nonprofit and the Clallam County PUD’s power supply and utility services manager.
West End to Blyn
An undetermined amount of the federal funding will go toward expanding NoaNet’s network from Port Angeles to Clallam County’s West End and eastward from Port Angeles to Blyn where the Jamestown S’Klallam tribe is headquartered.
“Neah Bay was considered an underserved area,” Mitchell said.
A microwave radio link will be established for Neah Bay because running a fiber-optic line to the most northwesterly community in Clallam County was too expensive, Mitchell said, adding that broadband access could improve health care and educational services for the Makah.
Part of the funding will provide the Jamestown S’Klallam tribe with better connectivity to the tribe’s new medical facility in Sequim and its business enterprises in Carlsborg, Mitchell said.
“It allows an [Internet service provider] to provide broadband to tribal users,” he said.
NoaNet, in cooperation with a number of additional applicants — including Clallam County PUD and the tribes — applied for the grant in August.
The infrastructure is expected to go in within the next three years, said NoaNet Chief Executive Officer Greg Marney.
“We estimate this new fiber-optic infrastructure will serve 126,000 rural citizens and will create hundreds of new jobs,” Marney said.
The total cost of the project is $106 million, which includes monetary and in-kind contributions.
A minimum of a gigabit per second of broadband will be available to retail service providers to create new markets for business and rural citizens and improve Internet and broadband capabilities into libraries, medical and education centers, government and public safety agencies.
The 1,800-mile NoaNet network parallels the Bonneville Power Administration transmission system and currently serves 260,000 customers.
Mitchell said Clallam County has moved ahead of Jefferson County in broadband technology and service because it has power poles that can carry fiber-optic lines.
The Jefferson County PUD commissioners, who now oversee water and sewer services only, are negotiating with Puget Sound Energy to take over its electrical power infrastructure.
Jefferson application
Jefferson County Administrator Philip Morley and Bill Wise, county economic development division Team Jefferson chairman of operation, both said they were confident that the county will meet the March 15 deadline to apply for “round two” grant dollars.
Morley and Wise said the NoaNet award is a good sign.
“What that does do is it established a successful track record for NoaNet,” Morley said. “I think it strengthens our position.”
Landing the grant would establish a broadband fiber loop from Chimacum and back around through Port Townsend, Wise said, tying in anchor institutions and emergency services wireless systems.
Mitchell said the second round should be key for NoaNet expanding its services in the North Olympic Peninsula.
“I think it’s going to be a lot more competitive for round two, so that remains to be seen,” Mitchell said.
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Port Townsend-Jefferson County Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at jeff.chew@ peninsuladailynews.com.