PORT TOWNSEND — A Jefferson County coalition is working on an application for a grant to bring faster Internet broadband service to government hubs and ultimately to businesses and homes through connecting wireless systems.
Jefferson County Broadband Coalition has a tight March 15 deadline to apply for a $3.2 million Broadband Technology Opportunities Program grant, federal economic stimulus money to improve Internet technology and service in rural areas.
“The community is doing an incredible job. In large part, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance,” Mike Henson, chief security officer with Northwest Open Access Network — or NoaNet, said Friday, adding that it was questionable whether such grant money would be available at another time.
Jefferson County is one of 12 regional governments going through NoaNet, and Washington State Department of Information Services, to qualify for the federal economic stimulus grant.
The county coalition is made up of more than 20 government and business entities, including the county, Jefferson County Public Utility District, the city of Port Townsend, Port of Port Townsend, Brinnon, Quilcene, Chimacum and Port Townsend school district, the county and city libraries, emergency services, Fort Worden State Park, Jefferson Healthcare hospital and the county courts, to apply for the grant.
The coalition is moving toward providing the county with a broadband fiber “backbone” and wireless infrastructure “ribs” to remote rural reaches.
Henson and Fred Mitchell, Clallam County PUD’s power supply and utility services manager, met with Jefferson County PUD commissioners last week.
Fiber backbone
They offered help in securing the grant to build a fiber backbone from Port Ludlow to key government facilities, with the future plan of extending it to commercial and residential users through wireless infrastructure.
Henson and Mitchell told the PUD commissioners that their NoaNet membership would help Jefferson County land the grant.
“It’s in NoaNet’s interest to make you guys successful,” Mitchell told the PUD commissioners Wednesday.
Jefferson County PUD has been a longtime member of NoaNet, a registered telecommunications company representing public utility districts that have linked their fiber optic networks together to achieve economic feasibility in under-served areas.
Henson said NoaNet completed a field survey for Jefferson County to better understand the cost for building a fiber optic backbone and relaying broadband coverage with a wireless network.
Costs figure for construction won’t be completed until some time this week, he said.
“The clock is ticking,” said Bill Graham, whom the PUD commissioners have assigned as the water and sewer agency’s liaison in the grant application process.
“Whatever happens, we’re going to move delicately.”
Graham said if the county is awarded money, the system would have to be owned and operated by a public or private operation, perhaps NoaNet, or a combination of both.
“The NTIA wants to see who’s going to pay for it and run it and what equipment will be used,” Graham said.
Proposal
The Jefferson Coalition project’s first phase, as proposed, would bring broadband technology infrastructure to community services, such as libraries, colleges, cultural centers, key medical centers and government clinics.
The second phase would bring the broadband Internet connectivity to commercial and residential users.
Of the $3.2 million in grant funding, the county would be expected to contribute a 30 percent match in cash and in-kind services.
Morley said after meeting with key anchor institutions that he believes about $250,000 in cash and $500,000 in in-kind contributions are feasible.
Morley said the coalition must receive letters of intent from potential partners before the end of the month.
Companies such as Intellicheck Mobilisa, a wireless technology firm based in Port Townsend, would benefit from the infrastructure improvement program, officials 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.