State of Washington Officials Announce Completion of Statewide High-Speed Broadband Network
From NoaNet (Northwest Open Access Network):
Governor Jay Inslee and local officials gathered in Yakima Tuesday to announce the completion of a 1,600 mile broadband network to bring high-speed Internet access to rural communities across Washington state.
Towns, cities and remote areas from Ilwaco to Colville and Asotin now have access to some of the fastest Internet service speeds in the country, service that was previously impossible due to geographic or financial hurdles.
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Serving as a broadband highway for Washington state, the new network brings high-capacity Internet connections to hundreds of previously underserved libraries, police stations, city halls, colleges and other community institutions. Local Internet service providers can also connect to the network and provide service to customers in the area.
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“The strong partnership between all the entities involved was key to improving broadband access to nearly 50 local libraries,” said Rand Simmons, Washington State Librarian. “Our state’s libraries are now able to help community members participate in e-learning, e-government and provide online services and digital resources for the 21st century”.
See Also: NoaNet Map
See Also: RI officials mark completion of high-speed broadband project (Providence Journal)
See Also: Officials celebrate completion of One Maryland Broadband Network. (Myeasternshoremd.com; October 11, 2013)
Filed under: Libraries, News, Open Access

About Gary Price
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.