Is free Internet coming to all in Washington State?

The short answer is no.  

However. There will be several low-income areas and schools that will receive free or subsidized broadband connectivity.  

According to KIRO7.com,
‘The Biden-Harris Administration announced Monday it approved more than $15.9 million in funding to expand internet access throughout Washington. The grant comes from the $1.44 billion State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program and is part of the “Internet for All” initiative, according to a news release from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Monday.’ 

Take for example the area that I live in North of Wenatchee on 97-A. There's no fiber optics connectivity available. Our telecommunications company, (Ziply Fiber.) discontinued their dial-up service. My only other options were to go with a satellite service (Too expensive) or LocalTel’s SkyFi wireless service. Which is kind of like over the Air DSL, but you get more bandwidth, also less expensive, but not cheap. 

I decided to go with Localtel. So far, it's working out quite well. Even at peak usage times, I seem to have enough bandwidth that if I want to, I can stream a movie or upload large audio or video files. 

I have to admit, it would be really nice to see some of that sweet, sweet “Internet for all” money coming our way so that maybe they would build out the fiber optics in the neighborhood I live in but I'm not going to hold my breath. 

There's no telling what's going to happen to that allocation of money once the new administration takes hold in Washington, DC.  

Struggling with internet? Washington receives federal funding to help locals get online – KIRO 7 News Seattle
Internet for All Initiative – Washington State Department of Commerce
Biden-Harris Administration Approves and Recommends for Award Washington's Digital Equity Capacity Grant Application for More Than $15.9 Million | National Telecommunications and Information Administration