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July
29,
2009
Version
1
Washington
State
Broadband
Stimulus
Overview
Washington
State
Broadband
Overview
This
is
a
dynamic
report
that
will
be
updated
frequently.
1
“The
state
of
our
economy
calls
for
action,
bold
and
swift
.
.
.
and
we
will
act,
not
only
to
create
new
jobs,
but
to
lay
a
new
foundation
for
growth.
We
will
build
the
roads
and
bridges,
the
electric
grids
and
digital
lines
that
feed
our
commerce
and
bind
us
together.”
President
Obama's
Inaugural
Address
January
20,
2009
Overview
The
American
Recovery
and
Reinvestment
Act
of
2009
(ARRA)
appropriated
$7.2
billion
to
expand
access
to
broadband
services
in
the
United
States,
particularly
to
rural
areas
(i.e.,
unserved
and
underserved
areas
in
each
state).
In
the
coming
months,
these
grants
will
be
awarded
to
applicants
who
can
demonstrate
a
high
likelihood
of
success
in
several
areas,
including
job
creation,
expansion
of
broadband
infrastructure
to
rural
areas,
and
creation
of
innovative
programs
that
provide
education,
training,
and
broadband
adoption
opportunities.
Given
the
massive
size
of
this
task,
its
importance
to
our
state's
economic
well
‐
being,
and
the
very
short
period
of
time
available
to
qualify
for
federal
funding,
all
interested
parties
must
work
together
to
create
effective
and
efficient
plans
for
the
deployment,
access,
and
affordability
of
broadband
in
rural
areas.
What
is
broadband?
Broadband
is
a
communications
system
that
provides
high
‐
speed
transmission
of
data,
voice,
and
video
over
the
Internet
or
other
networks
in
multiple
ways
(such
as
fiber
optic
cable,
coaxial
cable,
wireless
technology,
and
satellites).
Broadband
platforms
allow
providers
to
combine
voice,
video,
and
data
onto
a
single
network.
Why
is
broadband
so
important
to
the
state
of
Washington?
Technology
‐
based
Industry
Contributes
To
40%
of
Our
Total
Employment
According
to
Washington
Employment
Security
Department
(ESD)
data,
when
applied
with
multiplier
effects,
an
estimated
1.16M
jobs
were
created
due
to
technology
‐
based
industries
‐
which
amounts
to
approximately
40%
of
the
total
employment
in
the
state.
Between
1974
and
2007,
the
total
technology
‐
based
employment
grew
from
6.7%
to
11.8%.
Furthermore,
based
on
the
data
from
the
Technology
Alliance
Report,
technology
jobs
support
an
average
of
3.39
jobs
for
each
direct
wage
and
salary
job
(compared
to
2.75
jobs
for
all
industries).
Labor
income
in
technology
averaged
$117,691,
compared
to
the
state
average
of
$54,097.
It
appears
evident
that
technology
‐
based
employment
is
important
to
our
state;
moreover,
broadband
is
important
to
other
technology
‐
based
industries.
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