A resolution was recently adopted by the Pierce County Council that will install a broadband infrastructure not only in the more populated areas of the county, such as Tacoma, but also in the more rural areas where other internet service providers (ISP) have been slow to get involved.
The goal of the county is to provide speeds of at least 100 megabytes per second (Mbps) in rural areas and one gigabyte per second (Gbps) in urban areas. Some residents in more rural areas have internet speeds that are much slower that broadband and many ISPs are reluctant to invest in these areas despite their population growth.
Councilmember Derek Young said that it is important for the economic future of the county to make sure that everyone has access to high speed broadband. Flyer printing can be used so that people throughout such areas can get more information about accessing such services.
The resolution itself calls for the county to develop a strategic broadband plan and revise county policies, codes, and standards so that barriers to broadband delivery are removed. Stakeholders are also needed to be engaged in the process to provide expertise, find broadband providers, and determine the needs of the community. Sources of funding are also needed, as is a contracted employee to support the initiative.
