Washington State Department of Information Services
Date: July 28, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Joanne Todd, Communications Director,
joanne.todd@dis.wa.gov
Report charts course for broadband success in Washington State
The blue ribbon Governor's Broadband Advisory Council ("Council") has released its final findings and recommendations in a report to Governor Chris Gregoire. The report, "Enhancing Broadband in Washington: Effective Means to Improve Connectivity and Awareness," advises Governor Gregoire to support proposals that effectively and efficiently extend broadband access to every Washington resident and facilitate broadband adoption in ways that stimulate our economy and create sustainable jobs. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) includes an appropriation of $7.2 billion to expand access to broadband services in the United States, particularly to rural areas.
The Council, which came together in May, was a diverse group of policy experts representing business, education and libraries, public health, and governmental entities.
The Council recommends that the state:
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Proceed immediately with a comprehensive broadband mapping initiative.
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Encourage public-private partnerships in federal grant applications to minimize duplication.
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Support proposals that pursue federal funding to address connectivity for institutions such as schools, libraries, hospitals, colleges, and community resource centers.
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Support proposals that clearly target unserved and underserved areas of the state.
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Leverage other avenues of federal stimulus to spur advances in science, healthcare, smart grid and energy efficiency, education, and transportation infrastructure.
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Support efforts to increase broadband access and adoptionby Washington residents and businesses.
"Affordable broadband access statewide is essential to Washington maintaining a competitive edge and attracting new businesses in the 21st century economy," Gregoire said. "We are making a strong push to bring as much funding as possible to the state to create jobs and build infrastructure."
Proceeding immediately, the Washington State Department of Information Services will work with various public sector organizations to develop a broadband strategy as well as facilitate and coordinate statewide mapping activities. House Bill 1701 designated DIS as the sole entity to apply for federal funding to map broadband adoption in the state. Mapping will help the state specifically identify underserved communities in the state, while advising Governor Gregoire in broadband project funding.
"We know that technology-based industries are vital to Washington, contributing to an estimated 40% of our total employment," said DIS Broadband Program Manager, Angela Wu. "Washington is in a unique position to both advance the objectives of ARRA, as well as benefit from the federal funding available to safeguard and accelerate our economy if we move quickly."
The report is available at http://broadband.dis.wa.gov/GBAC_Report.pdf.
More information on broadband stimulus funding is available at http://broadband.dis.wa.gov.
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About DIS - The Department of Information Services (DIS) provides telecommunications, computing, and digital government services to state, local, and tribal governments, higher education institutions, and qualified non-profit organizations.