HomeMy WebLinkAbout112221cabs03 C M LSD f Board of County Commissioners
7ONCoy 1820 Jefferson Street
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m Port Townsend, WA 98368
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III NCs Kate Dean,District 1 Heidi Eisenhour,District 2 Greg Brotherton,District 3
November 22, 2021
Washington State Broadband Office (WSBO)
P.O. BOX 42525
Olympia, 98504 WA
Re: Support for Jefferson County PUD's Jefferson North Broadband Project
Dear WSBO,
On behalf of Jefferson County Board of Commissioners, I am writing to support Public Utility
District No.1 of Jefferson County (JPUD)'s application for funding to build last mile fiber
connections to several hundred homes in the northern third of our County.
The COVID-19 pandemic has made it clear that access to broadband is essential. Many to most
of the homes included within the boundaries of the PUD's Jefferson North Fiber Project areas
only have access to internet over outdated DSL connections. While some are able to supplement
with cellular hotspots or satellite service, these technologies are both expensive and often
inadequate for modern video conferencing. Consequently, residents in this area struggle to attend
online school, work remotely, or take advantage of internet-based health care. Building fiber
optic connections will improve quality of life, increase economic opportunity, and allow for
greater participation in civic activities.
With 20,000 electric customers, and 50 miles of fiber already constructed, JPUD is ideally suited
to improving broadband access in our county. JPUD's plan to both build fiber directly to the
home or business at no cost to the customer AND to offer high-quality, low-cost retail service
while remaining an open access network is unique in Washington State. This plan assures that
every customer who connects to the PUD's network will have immediate access to the internet,
and 24/7 access to support from the PUD's customer service department and maintenance crews.
And customers enrolled in JPUD's low income program would instantly receive a discount on
service.
Jefferson County Board of Commissioners strongly supports JPUD'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 every unserved
resident in the county. We strongly urge you to grant their request for funding.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Kate Dean, Chair Heidi Eisenhour Greg Brotherton
Commissioner District 1 Commissioner District 2 Commissioner District
Phone (360) 385-9100 Fax (360) 385-9382 jeffbocc@co.jefferson.wa.us