Washington’s Rural Broadband Build-Out Is Crossing the Finish Line — And a New Wave of Fiber Work Is Right Behind It

Washington’s State Broadband Office awarded $30 million in Broadband Infrastructure Program grants to rural service providers in Ferry, Jefferson, Kittitas, Okanogan, and Stevens counties in 2022, and that work is now resulting in fiber connections going live across the state — with all BIP grant work expected to be completed in 2026. Projects like the Northern Hood Canal Fiber Extension are deploying cutting-edge hybrid aerial and underground installation methods, over-lashing two 144-count fiber optic cables to existing utility poles while also running underground segments — a scope that has kept civil and telecom construction crews busy across Washington’s most remote corridors. Meanwhile, AT&T has announced a staggering $250 billion, five-year national investment in 5G, fiber, and satellite infrastructure — and is hiring thousands of new technicians in 2026 alone — signaling that the telecom construction wave is far from over. For Washington contractors with underground utility, aerial line, and conduit installation capabilities, the next wave of BEAD-funded fiber work is already in planning and will begin mobilizing in late 2026 and into 2027. Seattle Department of Transportation Washington State Department of Transportation

Source URL:https://www.commerce.wa.gov/state-broadband-office-tours-new-fiber-projects-across-washington/