WASHINGTON, June 28 - President Biden’s administration announced this week that Washington will receive over $1.2 billion to expand high-speed internet networks statewide.

“I’m thrilled to see the federal government stepping up to invest in the work we’ve been doing for years to expand equitable access to high-speed internet,” said Gov. Jay Inslee. “We’re going to put this funding to work connecting Washingtonians across the state to broadband, with all the opportunities this technology brings.”

Washington consistently ranks among the ‘best connected’ states in the country when it comes to internet access. But there are still nearly 230,000 households in Washington that do not use broadband services, according to the Federal Communications Commission.

With the influx of federal funding, Washington will be able to scale up efforts to bridge the digital divide and connect more Washingtonians to advanced, high-speed internet.

Gov. Jay Inslee shakes hands with Chairman Doug Woodruff, of the of the Quileute Tribal Council, after signing an agreement to facilitate broadband expansion to La Push and the Tribe’s Lower Village in 2018