HomeMy WebLinkAbout092721cabs02JEFFERSON COUNTY
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
AGENDA REQUEST
TO: Board of County Commissioners
Mark McCauley, Interim County Administrator
FROM: Greg Brotherton, District 3 Commissioner
DATE: September 27, 2021
SUBJECT: Letter of Support re: PUD's Grant Application to the state Public Works Board
to apply for funding to expand our broadband network
STATEMENT OF ISSUE:
A request was sent to local Government and Community Leaders for a support letter to be sent to the Public
Works Board regarding the PUD applying for funding to expand the broadband network to under and
unserved communities in Jefferson County. This time they are seeking $2 million from the WA State Public
Works Board to connect 200 homes and a handful of businesses between and along Anderson Lake Rd and
up both sides of HWY 20 to Four Corners Rd (a PDF map of the project area is attached).
Why this area? 1) Most of the residents have DSL at best and some not even that. 2) It fills in connections
between the first proposed project area (Quilcene to Gardiner- a $12M project currently submitted as
partnership with the state of WA to the federal NTIA Board) and the PUD headquarters at 310 Four Corners.
3) The max grant request is $2M and can only go to under/unserved areas, so project areas were limited.
ANALYSIS:
MORE ABOUT THE PUD's BROADBAND PLANS.
1) PUD AS RETAIL ISP
As some of you know, in July of 2021, the WA state legislature made it legal for PUDs to provide retail
internet service. Jefferson County PUD is now in the process of becoming the first PUD in the state to take
advantage of this new ability. While their fiber networks will remain open access, they will offer their own
internet service to customers on their network. No one will be obligated to take it and other companies will
be equally able to offer their own services to any connection the PUD builds to. The PUD's ability to serve
as retail ISP ensures that customers who connect to their networks will have an ISP to connect them to the
internet. It sounds like a no-brainer, but public networks have been built in the past with no ISP to serve the
end customer. Being an ISP also allows the PUD to recapture more of the cost of building and maintaining
their network, and allows them to set higher bars for affordability, speed, and service in the county.
2) FIBER TO THE PREMISES
The PUD is pursuing state and federal funding so that they can build fiber directly to homes and businesses.
The homes and businesses connected using federal funding will pay either no (or in rarer cases greatly
reduced) construction fees to be connected. They will only pay the monthly charge, which for homes, begins
at $65/mo before taxes for 100/100 mbps fiber service. By using federal funding and state funding to pay for
construction costs, PUD expects to be able to connect more customers, with a broader array of income levels
to their network. They will also offer reduced rates for eligible low-income customers.
3) BIGGER PLAN
PUD's goal is to ensure every PUD customer has access to affordable and reliable broadband internet
service. To achieve this goal, the PUD is looking at capital expenditures roughly equivalent to the purchase
of the electric grid in 2013, nearly $100M. This is a huge endeavor and risk and one they do not take lightly.
As you know, they have only gotten to this plan of action after years of study, deliberation, and
handwringing. Ultimately, the pandemic made it clear that broadband is an essential service and one they
either need to provide directly or help facilitate access to.
The PUD is currently planning a $25M project that would see fiber extend from Marrowstone to the Coyle.
They will be seeking matching funding from the state and submitting the request for the full amount to the
feds later this fall. They be coming back for support for that request and likely others. They can't achieve
this goal without support and buy in from our community.
FISCAL IMPACT:
n/a
RECOMMENDATION:
Review and sign Letter of Support re: PUD's Grant Application to the state Public Works Board
to apply for funding to expand our broadband network
REVIEWED BY:
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Mark McCauleyblerim County Administr o D e
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Sept 27, 2021
Sheila Richardson,
Public Works Board Office
Olympia, WA
Board of County Commissioners
1820 Jefferson Street
PO Box 1220
Port Townsend, WA 98368
Kate Dean, District 1 Heidi Eisenhour, District 2 Greg Brotherton, District 3
Re: Support for Jefferson County PUD's Discovery Bay East Project
Dear Ms. Richardson,
We are writing to support Jefferson County PUD's request for funding to build fiber to over 200
homes and businesses along the eastern shore of Discovery Bay.
The COVID-19 pandemic has made it clear that access to broadband is essential. In rural,
geographically isolated Jefferson County, too many of our citizens lack access to broadband.
Many to most of the homes included within the boundaries of the Discovery Bay East project
have no internet or outdated DSL connections. While some make do with cellular hotspots or
satellite, technologies that are both expensive and often inadequate for video conferencing.
Consequently, residents in the area struggle to attend online school, work remotely, or take
advantage of internet-based health care. Building fiber optic connections to this community will
improve quality of life and increase economic opportunity.
We support the PUD's goal of ensuring everyone in Jefferson County has access to affordable
and reliable broadband internet service. We applaud their efforts to seek out federal and state
funding to expand their network to our most underserved residents. We strongly urge you to
support their request for funding.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Kate Dean
Commissioner District 1
Jefferson County Commissioners
Heidi Eisenhour Greg Brotherton
Commissioner District 2 Commissioner District 3
Phone (360) 385-9100 Fax (360) 385-9382 jeffbocc@coJefferson.wa.us
Date: 9/8/2021
User: agerrish
Document Path: H:\GIS_Projects\Fiber\Grant Projects\Port Ludlow-Chimacum Grant Project Area\Port Ludlow-Chimacum Grant Project Area.aprx