New broadband plan aims to gain federal funding to expand internet access in Lewis County

CHEHALIS - Increasing access for every Lewis County resident to quality, affordable, high-speed broadband service is the goal of the Lewis County Broadband Action Team (LCBAT).

The LCBAT, with the participation of Lewis County Housing and Infrastructure Specialist Eric Eisenberg and county Information Technology Director Matt Jaeger, recently completed a broadband action and digital equity plan for the county in order to qualify for federal grant funding under the already approved Federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program.

Washington State is expected to be awarded just over $900 million which is to be distributed among eligible counties and tribes, to be used to help fund broadband projects, private, public, and private/public.

The Washington State Broadband Office (WSBO) contracted with Washington State University (WSU) to help broadband action teams, in all counties, to develop broadband action and digital equity plans for their local areas and then to submit those local plans to WSBO for the development of the overall state-wide plan in order to qualify for federal grant funding.

“Broadband infrastructure investment is greatly needed and now that this initial planning work has been completed, projects in Lewis County are well positioned to be a recipient of some of those grant funds to help overcome the difficulties of broadband deployment in rural, unserved/underserved areas,” LCBAT Chair Frank Corbin said.

Lewis County Broadband Action Team's Broadband Action and Digital Equity Plan work was completed by an all-volunteer group of individuals representing Lewis County, Lewis County PUD, Timberland Regional Library, the Port of Chehalis and a number of local citizens.

The Lewis County Broadband Action Team action and digital equity plan may be accessed at the following link:
https://drive.google.com/.../1MsII1gC1T7uUnctxxDK.../view...