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Commissioners note state BEAD awards list includes no local providers; county to meet with NOAA Net
Summary
County commissioners said the state’s Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) award results include no local providers; staff and commissioners said they will meet with NOAA Net and noted an opportunity to submit comments on the awards.
At the Aug. 26 meeting, commissioners were informed that the state has published results for the BEAD awards and that no local internet service providers from Island County were included on the list. A county commissioner said staff would forward the state announcement to the Broadband Action Team and that the county would pursue additional engagement with providers.
"The state has published the results of the BEAD Awards, and there are no local providers on the list," a commissioner said during commissioner comments. The same commissioner said the list included satellite providers and NOAA Net and that they planned to meet with the new NOAA Net CEO to discuss the provider's presence and potential role on Whidbey and Camano.
County staff also said there is an opportunity to submit comments on the BEAD award outcomes; commissioners asked staff to share the state announcement and any instructions for public comment. The remarks were delivered as part of commissioner announcements; no formal adoption, motion, or fiscal action related to broadband awards was recorded during the meeting.
The county did not provide detailed technical or award-specific information in the meeting; commissioners said staff member Cody could provide more background on the awards and the commenting process.
The BEAD program is the federal Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment initiative; the county discussion centered on the state’s published allocation results and local next steps for engagement and outreach.
