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Columbia County signs letters supporting Port of Columbia BEAD/technical-assistance bids
Summary
County commissioners voted to sign two letters backing Port of Columbia grant applications for federal and state broadband funding, and discussed the costs and scope of extending fiber to remaining rural premises.
Columbia County commissioners on Thursday voted to sign two letters of support backing the Port of Columbia’s applications for broadband grant assistance: a Washington Association of Counties (WASAC) technical-assistance grant and a formal letter to the Washington State Broadband Office in support of a BEAD (Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment) application.
The letters name the Port of Columbia as the Port’s fiscal agent and support its bid to expand high-speed broadband to unserved and underserved areas of the county. Commissioners approved the letters by motion; both motions passed with the board responding “aye” and the chair saying the motion carries.
Why it matters: state and federal BEAD grants are the primary funding source available to build broadband in rural areas, but they require applicants to commit to serving all premises in a designated project area. County and Port officials told the commissioners that the county’s remaining unserved project area would require long runs of fiber and high per‑premise costs that make a straightforward, countywide FTTP (fiber to the premises) build expensive.
Port and county officials described the local program and the rationale for applying despite the high cost. “We have an over 60% adoption rate,” a Port representative and the county’s designated ADO, Jill (County-designated ADO), told the board, saying the county’s public projects now provide access to more than 1,300 premises. Commissioners heard an estimate that bringing fiber to all remaining premises in the BEAD project area could cost tens of millions of dollars; speakers gave a per-premise connection figure in the tens of thousands of dollars and characterized total network extension estimates as large.
Officials said the WASAC technical-assistance funds will be used first to pay for engineering work required to apply for BEAD — including a stamped engineer certification the application requires — and that the Port will act as fiscal agent on grant applications. The board heard that a stamped engineering drawing for BEAD submission will cost roughly $3,000 and that the Port has contracted with regional partners (Petrocor and others) to prepare the federal application.
Speakers emphasized the strategic need to apply even though the current federal program likely lacks sufficient funds to cover every premise in Columbia County. “In order to be in the conversation and hopefully negotiate with them … we have to apply,” one Port speaker said. Commissioners approved the two letters of support so the Port could access WASAC technical funds and formally apply to the Washington State program.
The board’s approvals do not by themselves obligate county matching funds or guarantee construction. Officials said future decisions on project scope, technology mixes (fiber vs. hybrid wireless), and financing would return for further action as grant awards and negotiations proceed.
Ending: County staff and Port representatives said they will continue engineering and application work and return with details and potential financing options if the county becomes eligible for BEAD or other awards.
