The Washington State Broadband Office (WSBO) will award approximately $266 Million in broadband infrastructure grants in at least two funding rounds planned for October 2021 and April 2022. Each funding round will have approximately $135 million in federal funds available. Entities eligible to apply are:

• Local governments, including public ports and public utility districts,
• Federally recognized Tribes,
• Nonprofit organizations,
• Nonprofit cooperative organizations, and
• Multiparty entities that consist of at least one public partner.

Eligible projects will construct broadband infrastructure designed to deliver broadband service, as part of a contiguous network, that:

• At minimum, delivers transmission speeds of 100 megabits per second download and 100 megabits per second upload (100/100) unless impracticable due to geography, topography, or financial cost in which case speeds of 100/20 are acceptable if scalable to 100/100; and
• Is deployed in unserved areas, defined as areas lacking access to reliable (wireline connection) service at speeds of at least 25/3.

The WSBO will prioritize projects based on competitive criteria that include but are not limited to:

• Project readiness;
• Service to underserved areas that lack access to reliable speeds of at least 100/20;
• Regional collaboration;
• Last mile connections;
• Affordability for end-users; and
• Digital equity considerations on access, affordability, and digital literacy.

The WSBO anticipates grant awards may range from $1 million to $25 million.

Pre-Application due: 10/18/2021

By 11/8/2021, the WSBO will invite qualified projects to complete the full application.

Full Application due: 11/29/2021

Contact: Tammy Mastro

Email: wsbo@commerce.wa.gov

Full NOFO

APPLY HERE