Northwest Open Access Network (NoaNet)

State of Washington Broadband Consortium

Difficult terrain both east and west of the Cascade mountain range has impeded the construction of broadband facilities to local residents and community organizations. NoaNet’s State of Washington Broadband Consortium project aims to deliver enhanced, affordable broadband capabilities to community anchor institutions and local Internet service providers across 25 of Washington’s 39 counties by augmenting NoaNet’s existing fiber-optic network. This project would complement NoaNet’s $84.3M BTOP Round One award that is funding the construction of 831 miles of fiber-optics in southeastern and southwestern Washington. The project intends to support advanced telemedicine services, boost bandwidth available at regional schools that currently suffer from network problems when too many users try to access the Internet at once, and enable public safety entities to access JusticeNet, Washington state’s integrated network supporting state judicial system institutions. The project plans to enhance connectivity to six Indian tribes in the state, including the Tulalip Tribes of Washington, the Kalispell Tribe of Indians, the Yakama Nation, the Lower Elwha Kallam Tribe of Indians, the Suquamish Tribe, and the Port Gamble S’Kallam Tribe of Indians.

Total Award: 
$54452347
BTOP In Action

The Northwest Open Access Network (NoaNet) deployed more than 320 miles of new fiber through June 2013. These new miles are part of NoaNet’s plans to spur local business development, support better health care, and enhance educational opportunities through an expansion of its existing high-speed network in Washington state. NoaNet will deploy a total of 503 new miles of fiber to bring broadband connectivity to schools and community institutions in rural areas currently hampered by slow Internet and data connections.

In 2011, the project broke ground on 19 project sites, including one in the rural community of Deming, where NoaNet connected several schools and other community facilities to high-speed Internet service for the first time. Once the network is complete, NoaNet’s expansion is expected to promote more affordable broadband access across the state for approximately 380,000 households, 18,000 businesses, and 1,300 anchor institutions, including government offices, public safety and medical centers, and schools.

Reports and Documents
Award Documents