Estakio Beltran named Washington State Broadband Office Digital Equity Manager

The Washington State Broadband Office in the Department of Commerce has hired Estakio Beltran to serve as Digital Equity Manager. Beltran comes to the job with significant experience working on equity policy, program development, and community-driven solutions to inequity. During more than a decade working in Washington DC, Beltran advised senior members of Congress and high-ranking officials as public policy professionals. Beltran stated that improving connectivity across the state can address digital inequities and ensure that everyone in Washington has full access to opportunities, power, and resources to flourish and achieve their full potential. Working in collaboration with the Washington Public Works Board and Community Economic Revitalization Board, the state broadband office recently was awarded $30 million from the US Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) for last-mile fiber and wireless projects aimed at overcoming barriers to broadband access and connectivity in five rural Washington counties (Ferry, Jefferson, Kittitas, Okanogan and Stevens). In addition, the 2022 state supplemental budget provides over $100 million in operating, capital, and federal broadband funding.