Commerce awards county broadband planning grant

Lincoln County has been selected by the Washington State Department of Commerce to receive a $26,880 Local Technology Planning Team grant. The proposal, a collaboration between the County, the Lincoln County EDC and Monica Babine of WSU's Digital Initiatives program, scored in the top five of 13 applications representing 14 counties and 13 tribes. The Local Technology Planning Team (LTPT) grant program awards funds to projects that best address broadband deployment or adoption.

The planning grant will be used to inventory the county's existing telecommunication providers and services; map existing telecommunication infrastructure; survey anchor institutions, businesses, and parents of school-aged children to identify what they need from broadband in order to thrive; and to evaluate the benefit, if any, of using the Lincoln County PUD to build out and manage middle-mile infrastructure.

This planning project provides a direct link to the objectives included in the County's Economic Development Strategy and the Economic Development Council, authors of the strategy, will partner with the County on the grant. Others who have committed time to the project include School Superintendents, PUD Commissioners, Mayors, Librarians and Utility Providers.