Tackling the Digital Divide in the Pacific Northwest

As the headquarters for a number of technology industry pioneers, Seattle (WA) has a thriving digital economy. But even in this high-tech hub, 93,000 residents – or 15 percent of the city’s population – don’t subscribe to the Internet From urban centers such as Seattle and Portland (OR) to rural towns such as Toledo (WA), civic leaders, industry officials and community activists are making progress in narrowing the digital divide. But the job is not done. That’s the picture that emerged from a daylong regional broadband workshop that the National Telecommunications and Information Administration hosted in partnership with the non-profit Next Century Cities in Seattle.

The event was the sixth in an ongoing series of regional workshops that NTIA is organizing as part of our BroadbandUSA program, which provides free hands-on technical assistance, toolkits, guides, webinars and other support to help communities expand local broadband deployment and adoption. The Seattle workshop brought together roughly 250 stakeholders – including local, state and federal officials, tribal leaders, industry representatives and community activists – to study broadband challenges facing the Pacific Northwest, explore potential solutions and examine success stories from Washington and surrounding states.