Chelan County Group Working To Secure Digital Divide Equity Funding

Our Valley, Our Future (OVOF) is focusing on what is known as the Digital Divide in Chelan and Douglas County

The digital divide is thought of as inequities in access to digital technology including the internet, tablets, laptops and smartphones in the broadest sense.

OVOF coordinator Steve Maher says the Chelan County Broadband Action Team (BAT) is working to bring high-speed internet connectivity to unserved or underserved residents in Chelan County residents.

BAT is also trying to ensure all residents have the necessary skills to take advantage of digital resources.

As a part of BAT's efforts, Chelan County PUD is developing a broadband infrastructure plan with the NCW Tech Alliance and Our Valley Our Future.

The infrastructure plan will identify existing broadband infrastructure and service providers (isp's) in the county, areas that are not well-served, barriers to further  expansion and potential paths forward.

The digital equity plan will inventory all digital equity activities, barriers to digital equity, and potential improvements to digital equity. Chelan PUD, NCW Tech Alliance, and OVOF have been engaging local officials, libraries, health care providers, school districts, Wenatchee Valley College, nonprofits and businesses on these plans.

Maher says both plans will be submitted to the state later this month setting Chelan County up for federal funding opportunities in 2024. The federal government’s $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program (BEAD) program prioritizes unserved areas and underserved areas, and the needs of anchor institutions.

County Fiber build-out:

OVOF reports Chelan County PUD has installed fiber infrastructure that reaches 76 percent of the population in the county in 2023. The PUD anticipates that figure to reach 85 percent by 2027. The total cost of build-out to date is $100 million

Chelan PUD fiber Take rate:

55 percent, meaning nearly half of county residents with access to PUD fiber are not taking advantage of the network through an internet service provider

Areas that do not have fiber now:

Pockets in the Cashmere area, Dryden area, Coles Corner, Manson area, Lake Chelan area, Entiat Valley, and Columbia River areas

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Limiting factors:

Chelan County is mountainous with numerous rolling hills, narrow canyons and steep drop-offs. The U.S. Forest Service and other government agencies own about 85 percent of all land in the county. Rocky soil and the mountainous terrain increases costs by making buried or aerial deployments harder and slower. Mountainous areas can also negatively impact the reliability of wireless technologies due to reduced line-of-sight. As a result, it is more expensive to operate and maintain networks in these locations, particularly as these locations have low population densities. Percent of population living in unincorporated areas: 41.5 percent

Digital Equity in Chelan County vs. Washington State

Households in the county that lack Internet service: 19 percent

Households in the state that lack Internet service: 12 percent

Households in the county without a desktop or laptop computer: 22 percent

Households in the state without a desktop or laptop computer: 15 percent

Households in the county with slow Internet speeds: 31 percent

Households in the state with slow Internet speeds: 28 percent

OVOF found the digital divide is most pronounced in Chelan County’s rural areas as well as in areas where there is a high poverty rate, households that include racial and ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, veterans, and senior citizens. For example, in mixed-income neighborhoods surrounding downtown Wenatchee, 23 percent of the households are without Internet service despite the fact all the neighborhoods have access, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.

Another 41 percent of the households lack a desktop or laptop computer. Twenty-two percent of the residents in these neighborhoods are in poverty, 37 percent are Latino, and another 20 percent have a disability. In comparison, just 3 percent of the households in the Sunnyslope area in Wenatchee are without Internet service and just 8 percent lack a laptop or desktop computer, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Areas with a very high rate (18 percent+) of households without Internet service:

● An area that includes the City of Entiat, Ardenvoir, the Entiat Valley, and Navarre Coulee Road

● An area on Lake Chelan’s south shore, in the City of Chelan, in Chelan Falls, and Antoine Creek

● An area that includes the town of Manson

● A section in the Wenatchee Valley including Peshastin, Dryden, Nahahum Canyon, Ollala Canyon, Hay Canyon, and Blewett Pass and Monitor

● An area in the south part of the county, and including Squilchuck Road, Wenatchee Heights, the community of Malaga, and the Colockum

The Digital Divide in Douglas County

The Douglas County PUD opted not to develop a broadband infrastructure plan because it anticipates 100 percent of all households having access to the PUD’s fiber network by the end of this year. The Douglas County Digital Equity Plan will be submitted to the state this June, setting the county up for federal funding opportunities in 2024.

The Douglas County PUD has installed fiber infrastructure that reaches 93 percent of the population in the county and anticipates that figure rising to 100 percent by the end of 2023. Total cost of build-out to date is $44 million

Douglas County take rate:

42 percent, meaning nearly six in 10 households and businesses with access to PUD fiber are not taking advantage of the network through an internet service provider.

Areas that do not have fiber now:

Areas along Highway 17 in far eastern Douglas County, along the Columbia River between Baker Flats and Beebe Bridge, and in small pockets in the East Wenatchee area. Percent of population living in unincorporated areas: 56 percent

Digital Equity in Douglas County vs. Washington State

Households in the county that lack Internet service: 20 percent

Households in the state that lack Internet service: 12 percent

Households in the county without a desktop or laptop computer: 22 percent

Households in the state without a desktop or laptop computer: 15 percent

Households in the county with slow Internet speeds: 19 percent

Households in the state with slow Internet speeds: 28 percent

In Douglas County, the digital divide is most pronounced in rural areas outside smaller communities and as in Chelan County where there is a high poverty rate, households that include racial and ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, veterans, and senior citizens.

There also are pockets in the East Wenatchee urban area that lack access to the fiber network. For example, in the Bridgeport area located in northern Douglas County, 33 percent of the households are without Internet service, despite the fact that the area has access, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. And another 44 percent of the households lack a desktop or laptop computer. About 22 percent of residents in this area are in poverty, 61 percent are Latino, and another 22 percent have a disability. In comparison, those living in a census tract in the East Wenatchee area (from Eastmont Avenue to Fancher Heights, and from 19th Street N.E. to 5th Street N.E.) face far fewer digital equity issues. Just 8.5 percent of the households are without Internet service and just 15 percent lack a laptop or desktop computer, according to U.S. Census Bureau.

Areas with a very high rate (18 percent+) of households without Internet service:

● A census tract that covers the northern part of Douglas County, including the Bridgeport, Mansfield, and Foster Creek areas

● Areas along the Columbia River, including Lincoln Rock State Park, Orondo, and Beebe Bridge areas

● A section in the East Wenatchee urban area, from 8th St. N.E. to Grant Road, and from the neighborhoods behind the mall to roughly Mary Street

● An area in the East Wenatchee urban area, from 15th St. N.E. to roughly Simon Street, and from the Columbia River to Eastmont Ave.