Dr. Lisa Brown, Director of Washington State Department of Commerce, spoke to Washington Public Ports Association members on September 28. In her presentation, she featured Petrichor Broadband clients, Port of Whitman County and Port of Garfield County, as models for broadband deployment in Washington State.
The Port of Whitman County received a $1,734,921 grant from Commerce’s Community Economic Revitalization Board (CERB) to design and construct a fiber-to-the-premises (FTTX) network around Pine City and Malden in Whitman County.
Fires in the fall of 2020 nearly destroyed the towns, ravaging more than 15,000 acres and 80% of homes. As the community continues to rebuild, infrastructure—including broadband—will chart the path for Pine City and Malden’s recovery. Broadband access will mean e-learning, work-from-home, business, telemedicine and other digital opportunities may once again become viable options for residents who want to enjoy the rural aspects and quality of life these communities provide.
The Port of Garfield County received a $412,500 low-interest loan and $137,500 grant from CERB to build a fiber-to-the-home network in Pomeroy. Nearly 700 homes and businesses—once constrained by aging copper systems that exceeded the distance limitations for all except the slowest DSL services—now have access to Gig speeds. Prior to this effort, common speeds for rural Garfield County stalled at 15 Mbps.
Petrichor is proud to help clients like the Ports of Whitman County and Garfield County bring high-speed broadband to their communities. Moreover, we appreciate organizations like CERB that invest in the “underdog”—those regions that whether for geography, monopolies or other reasons remain underserved by the private sector.
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