2021 West Canal Broadband Town Hall
08/02/2021 - WCCBP - ~1 Minute
The West Canal Community Broadband project invites you to attend a town hall meeting on Wednesday, August 18th, 2021 at 5:30pm at the Brinnon Community Center.
This meeting will cover the state of broadband in 2021 along the western Hood Canal, as well as provide important updates from the state and both of our local PUDs (Jefferson and Mason PUD1).
If you don’t receive our newsletter, there is a lot of federal and state funding focused on helping connect smaller communities like ours. Community suppport and involvement is critical to getting funded. Please share the word with your neighbors, and join us in person for more information.
Our agenda will cover:
- What our group is focused on
- Where is service planned
- What you can do to get service
- Answer questions
2021 Town Hall Meeting + Updates
07/14/2021 - WCCBP - ~2 Minutes
Neighbors:
This week we have a few updates. First, we’re planning a town hall Wednesday August 18th at 5:30PM at the Brinnon Community Center . We’re finalizing our speaker list now, but plan to share updates about all of the various projects active in our area and answer questions you have about it.
Second, we met with Mason PUD1 and Hood Canal Communications last week, and have some good news for people in Mason County. For those of us in Jefferson County, the news isn’t as good yet. Read on for more details by county.
Mason County
Mason PUD1 and Hood Canal Communications are partnering to build fiber north from Hama Hama Oyster Co. The first step is north to Mike’s Beach Resort. The second step is an extension to the county line. The plan is to use grant money from the state to offset some of the cost. Both Mason PUD1 and HCC need community support to win the grants, including possible use of Mason County funds to make up the gap.
Please Email your Mason County commissioner , attend the Mason County Commissioners meeting on July 20th 2021, or Email Kristin at Mason PUD1 with your letter of support.
Jefferson County
For folks near Brinnon who get their power from Mason PUD1 but live in Jefferson County, we have a different challenge. We need Jefferson PUD to apply for grants and develop a plan to reach us, just like Mason PUD1 has done with HCC’s help. Without Jefferson PUD’s help, service could stop at the county line.
Please keep Emailing Dan Toepper (our Jefferson PUD commissioner) and/or Greg Brotherton (our Jefferson County commissioner). Ask them to help Jefferson PUD to create a plan for Brinnon, apply for grants, and find a way to reach south county. Without their support, Jefferson PUD will stay focused on north county and we’ll be forgotten.
We hope you’re enjoying the beautiful weather!
-Robert, Phil, and Jim
July 2021 - South Jefferson County Forgotten Again!
07/06/2021 - WCCBP - ~1 Minute
Neighbors:
Early this summer, our broadband group started meeting with the various PUDs in our area. We were happy to hear they were starting to plan new broadband networks.
The bad news? They’re skipping us entirely: there will be no service between Mt Walker and the county line. Only the Brinnon School gets a connection.
Millions of our tax dollars will go to fast service for our commissioner’s own neighborhoods while we’re left in the dark. The PUDs made it clear - we have to get the commissioner’s attention to avoid being passed over.
We have a short window of time to change their minds. If the PUDs don’t create plans now, we can’t qualify for funding from the state and federal government. After that funding is gone, it could be a decade or more before they try again, if ever.
Please Email your commissioner as soon as possible. An example letter is here.
Please spread the word to everyone else that cares. The flyer we sent through the Brinnon Crier and posted at the community center is here. The more we can speak up, the better chance we have.
We hope you had a great 4th of July weekend!
-Robert, Phil, and Jim
Hello again!
04/05/2021 - WCCBP - ~1 Minute
It’s been a while since we last spoke about Brinnon’s broadband problems. 2021 is turning into a big year for rural broadband in the county and state. Good things are coming, but we’re at risk of getting skipped over again if we don’t speak up.
We’re rebuilding our mailing list, so please sign up here to get updates. The list is open to all, so feel free to share this link. If you don’t renew, this will be the last you hear from us.
We hope your 2021 is going better than your 2020.
-Robert, Phil, and Jim
Help us bring broadband to the Olympic Peninsula
04/05/2021 - WCCBP - ~2 Minutes
It’s been more than five years since a small group of neighbors got together to see how to get internet to Brinnon and parts nearby. After we started advocating for service, North Olympic Data Centers built the network we planned! (If you haven’t heard, you can check availablity and sign up here .
We’re re-launching our group in 2021, as it’s shaping up to be a big year for broadband on the entire peninsula. The pandemic showed our local PUDs and the entire government why access matters, and how big the divide is between towns and rural areas.
Locally, Jefferson County’s PUD is getting serious about building a broadband network. The state is changing laws that banned many PUD and community projects (laws written by the big telephone and cable companies.) At the federal level, $9.2B was spent last year funding rural access, with much more likely on its way. Rumors are that more than $100B will be spent this year.
With all of the activity, we’re still at risk of being forgotten. The county’s plans only go where people already have one or more choices, and stop at Quilcene. To the south, our Mason County neighbors are left in the dark above the Hama Hama Oyster Company. Many others don’t have affordable choices. We need our collective voices to help guide all of the investment that’s coming!
To learn more, bookmark this page, join our email list, and please participate in our survey!
-Robert, Phil, and Jim