Broadband Office Name: Washington State Broadband Office
BEAD Award Amount: $1.23 B
Washington Broadband Director: Aaron Wheeler
Website: https://www.commerce.wa.gov/building-infrastructure/washington-statewide-broadband-act/
Washington BEAD Program Tracker
| State | IP Vol 1 Approved | IP Vol 2 Approved | Challenge Process Submission Started | Challenge Process – Running | Challenge Process Submission Closed | Submitted Challenge Results to NTIA | Challenge Process Results Approved by NTIA | 1-Year Subgrantee Selection Process |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | Yes | Yes | No | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Washington BEAD Program Information
Key Updates
In February 2024, Governor appointed Aaron Wheeler to lead the Washington State Broadband Office. By May 2024, Washington’s Initial Proposals were approved by NTIA, granting the state access to over $1.2 billion in funding to implement the BEAD program.
Washington is currently in the Rebuttal stage of the Challenge Process until June 23rd.
Washington BEAD Program Plans & Maps
Washington BEAD Program Initial Proposal Volume 2: Overview
BEAD Long-Term Objectives
Goals for the BEAD Program: Washington State Broadband Office (WSBO)
Goal 1: Universal Access
- Provide every business and household with broadband access by 2028.
- Focus areas: State coordination, access, affordability, digital equity, and adoption.
Goal 2: Equitable Economic Development
- Support economic growth, job creation, and workforce development through expanded broadband access and adoption across all covered and unserved populations.
Goal 3: Scalability and Sustainability
- Future-proof broadband infrastructure while delivering at a scale and rate that meets access and equity goals.
- Focus areas: Scalable deployment, sustainable practices, and cybersecurity.
Washington BEAD Program Project Area Design
WSBO has contracted with Breaking Point Solutions, LLC, to help find the right balance in defining project areas. Washington will use counties as the basis for project areas, and for counties with over 1,000 locations, they will be divided into smaller projects.
Washington BEAD Program Extremely High Cost Threshold
After applications have been received, Washington will determine the EHC per location. Washington will utilize the NTIA CQA model as well as OptiExpress Software™, a cloud-based platform designed to optimize costing, design, and deployment of cost-effective broadband networks based on various scenarios, including fiber, fixed wireless, and potentially alternative technologies as needed.
BEAD Deployment Subgrantee Selection
WSBO is asking for the following preregistration evidence from subgrantees and compliance with: Financial capability, managerial capability, operational capability, technical capability, ownership info, public funding info, compliance with laws, cybersecurity/supply chain compliance, and BABA/EHP/NEPA/NHPA compliance.
Primary Scoring Criteria for Priority Broadband Projects
- 40 pts – Minimal BEAD Outlay
- 20 pts – Affordability
- 15 pts – Fair Labor Practices
Secondary Scoring Criteria
- 1 pt – Speed to Deployment
- 8 pts – Open Access
- 8 pts – Local and Tribal Coordination
- 8 pts – Adoption and Digital Navigation
Other Last-Mile Projects
Primary Scoring Criteria for Priority Broadband Projects
- 40 pts – Minimal BEAD Outlay
- 20 pts – Affordability
- 15 pts – Fair Labor Practices
Secondary Scoring Criteria
- 1 pt – Speed to Deployment
- 7 pts – Open Access
- 3 pts – Speed of Network
- 7 pts – Local and Tribal Coordination
- 7 pts – Adoption and Digital Navigation
BEAD Non-Deployment Subgrantee Selection
Washington has more than 230,000 unserved locations and over 85,000 underserved locations. WSBO expects to rely on other resources, such as the Digital Equity Act, to address these issues.
Key initiatives include:
- Increasing equitable, diverse, and inclusive on-the-job broadband workforce training program opportunities.
- Reducing the digital literacy and skills gap.
- Broadening outreach efforts to increase digital inclusion through trusted community partners.
- Increasing affordability by boosting ACP adoption.
BEAD Eligible Entity Implementation
WSBO will use some of its BEAD funding for implementation activities without making a subgrant. These activities include:
- Ongoing stakeholder engagement.
- Development, management, and implementation of the challenge process.
- Data collection and mapping initiatives.
- Other project and program management activities, such as:
- Providing training.
- Developing and implementing a BEAD Program Handbook for WSBO staff and subgrantees.
- Program evaluation, monitoring, and compliance.
BEAD Local, Tribe, and Regional Broadband Planning Process
WSBO Engagement Activities:
- Conducted 22 interviews, 33 focus groups, 5 community events, 12 listening sessions, 2 statewide surveys, and 32 meetings/presentations, engaging over 4,000 individuals.
- Sent a “Dear Tribal Leader” letter to all 29 recognized tribes in the state.
- Hosted consultation opportunities at spring and fall conferences in 2023.
- Attended FCC Tribal workshops.
- Hosted regional consultation events with Spokane Indians Tribe and Nisqually Indian Tribe.
- Held 3 virtual listening sessions for all tribes.
Projects and Programs:
- Boosting Pierce County: Received $15M under the American Rescue Plan Act.
- Broadband Action Teams
- Broadband to Pierce County
- City of Anacortes Investments: Received $2.2M to install a fiber optic network.
- City of Seattle Technology Matching Fund
- Washington State Community Economic Revitalization Board Rural Broadband Program
- Digital Equity Forum
- Digital Navigators Program
- Internet for All Seattle Initiative
- Washington State Public Works Broadband Construction Funding
- Public Retail Broadband Policy
BEAD Labor Standards & Protection
WSBO requires all BEAD subgrantees to submit the following information:
A record of past compliance with federal/employment laws:
- Must address info on deployment projects within the last 3 years.
- Certification form from an Officer/Director level employee of past compliance.
- Written confirmation that subgrantee has disclosed any violations from contractors within the last 3 years.
Plans for ensuring compliance with federal/employment laws:
- Wages/benefits by worker classification.
- Wages/benefit information.
- Supply of skilled workers.
- How labor disputes are minimized.
- Steps for safety/healthy workplace.
BEAD Minority Business Enterprises / Women’s Business Enterprises / Labor Surplus Area Firms Inclusion
WSBO confirms it will take the necessary affirmative steps as outlined in the BEAD NOFO, and other strategies, including:
- Placing qualified small and minority businesses and women’s business enterprises on solicitation lists.
- Ensuring that small and minority businesses and women’s business enterprises are solicited whenever they are potential sources.
- Encouraging businesses to be certified as Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE) by OMWBE.
- Dividing total requirements, when economically feasible, into smaller tasks or quantities to permit maximum participation by small and minority businesses and women’s business enterprises.
- Establishing delivery schedules, where the requirement permits, which encourage participation by small and minority businesses and women’s business enterprises.
- Requiring subgrantees to document good faith efforts to reach out to these businesses.
- Using the services and assistance, as appropriate, of organizations such as the Small Business Administration and the Minority Business Development Agency of the Department of Commerce.
- Requiring subgrantees to take the affirmative steps listed above as they relate to subcontractors.
WSBO has communicated these expectations through webinars, the WSBO website, application requirements, and emails.
BEAD Cost & Barrier Reduction
1. Promoting the use of existing infrastructure.
2. Promoting and adapting dig-once policies.
3. Streamlining permitting processes.
4. Streamlining cost-effective access to poles, conduits, and easements.
5. Streamlining rights of way, including the imposition of reasonable access requirements.
BEAD Low-Cost Broadband Service Option
Washington has an estimated 1,125,000 ACP-eligible households. As of September 2023, less than 315,000 (28%) are enrolled.
Low-Cost Plan Criteria:
- Costs $30 per month or less.
- Allows the end user to apply ACP and Lifeline benefits.
- Provides speeds of at least 100/20 Mbps.
- Ensures latency measurements of no more than 100 ms.
- Is not subject to data caps, surcharges, or usage-based throttling.
- Requires the applicant to participate in ACP.
- Must be made available to those who qualify for the FCC’s ACP.
- The Office of Broadband strongly encourages making the low-cost broadband service option available to all eligible prospective customers across the subgrantee’s service territory.
BEAD Middle-Class Affordability
Proposed Pricing Criteria:
- Proposes a monthly non-promotional price, including all taxes, fees, and charges billed to the customer or subscribers.
- Provides consistent speeds of 100/20 Mbps.
- Ensures typical latency measurements of no more than 100 milliseconds.
- Is not subject to data caps, surcharges, or usage-based throttling.
- Allows prices charged to end users to increase only after 12 months have passed, and at a rate that does not exceed the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) 12-month percentage point change for the “All Items” category.