$11.7 million in federal funding to help bring broadband access to Whatcom communities
A total of $11.7 million in federal funding has been secured to expand high-speed internet access across the Puget Sound and bring so-called “middle mile” improvements to underserved areas such as Point Roberts, Washington.
Middle mile refers to connecting a town’s network to a larger metropolitan area where it interconnects with major carriers, according to the Washington Statewide Broadband Office.
Point Roberts is a 4.9-square-mile unincorporated exclave in Whatcom County located in the southern part of Canada’s Tsawwassen Peninsula, south of Vancouver.
The Whidbey Telephone Company has been awarded the funding to help complete the Point Roberts middle mile infrastructure project. The money came from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and will fund the construction, improvement and acquisition of middle mile infrastructure for the residents of Point Roberts, Lummi Nation, Whidbey Island Naval Air Station Whidbey Island and surrounding areas.
The funding was secured by Washington’s two U.S. senators, Democrats Patty Muray and Maria Cantwell.
“A reliable internet connection is a necessity — not a luxury — and that is especially true in more remote communities in Washington state and throughout the country,” said Murray. “Families and small businesses in Point Roberts rely on internet access for everything from running their businesses to participating in online classes to accessing health care.”
The project calls for installing 47.6 miles of new terrestrial underground fiber optic cable and 63.1 miles of undersea fiber cable, connecting 80,000 Whidbey Island residents, 5,000 residents of Lummi Nation, 17,000 residents of San Juan County, 1,200 underserved residents of Point Roberts, and thousands more households in mainland Northwest Whatcom County.
“Middle mile deployment is critical to providing affordable and accessible high-speed internet in places that remain hard to serve,” Cantwell said in a news release.
The $11.7 million award will fund the construction, improvement, and acquisition of middle mile infrastructure for the residents of Point Roberts, Lummi Nation, Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, and surrounding areas, Cantwell said.
Cantwell also said the 2,164 students in the Blaine School District will be better connected to the internet as well as the community’s 11 anchor institutions, such as libraries and health-care providers.
“[This] is promising news, as we believe strongly in having affordable internet available to all in order to address educational inequities caused by a loss of access to online resources. We look forward to learning the details regarding the rollout of this initiative and are hopeful these positive impacts come to fruition for our families,” said Lisa Moeller, communications director for the Blaine School District, in an email to the Bellingham Herald.
Brian Calder, president of the Point Roberts Chamber of Commerce, said he is hopeful the project will provide a boost to the local economy.
“Any assistance to Point Roberts in any shape or form is welcome,” he said.
