Broadlink PDA reports provisional BEAD award and other grants; 20 miles of county fiber near completion
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Summary
Broadlink told the county it won provisional BEAD awards for 13 of 24 project areas (roughly $90 million including match), released a $5 million USDA Community Connect bid for fiber-to-home in north Spokane County and is nearing completion of 20 miles of county fiber in the south county.
Broadlink, the Spokane County Public Development Authority for broadband, gave the Board of County Commissioners an update on grant awards and network construction.
Broadlink said it received provisional awards through Washington state's slice of BEAD (Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment), winning 13 of 24 project areas in the county and signaling roughly $90 million of activity when match is included. County and Broadlink staff said contracting and detailed project design would continue through winter, with provisional contracting expected to begin December and continue into March. "This award set has extremely fast timeline," Broadlink's executive director said, pointing to a federal deadline for completed projects in later 2029.
Separately, Broadlink said it released construction bids for a USDA Community Connect award of about $5 million to build fiber-to-the-home for roughly 400 residences in north Spokane County; the project includes an innovative "community center in a box" (a large connex with communications and meeting space) to meet the program27s community-center requirement. Broadlink also reported it is completing 20 miles of new fiber in south Spokane County, with a ribbon-cutting planned for October 31, and that it has committed ISP partners for service on that backbone.
Commissioners and staff discussed leveraging county-owned assets (water towers, municipal fiber) and coordinating with cities and small towns. Broadlink representatives emphasized the agency27s role as an open-access public benefit network, pairing federal grants with local match and private-sector partnerships to deliver 100/20 Mbps minimum service in funded areas.
Next steps: Broadlink will continue contracting and pre-construction work for BEAD and USDA awards, proceed with the October 31 ribbon-cutting for the south-county fiber, and coordinate with county departments and municipalities on deployment and long-term operations.