Tech-Savvy Seattle Can’t Seem to Get Everyone Connected

When it comes to expanding broadband Internet, Seattle (WA) has all the right ingredients for success. It has a highly educated workforce, a median household income that exceeds the state average, a local economy primed with technology jobs and a growing community of telecommuters. So it’s no surprise that the metro area has one of the nation’s highest rates of broadband adoption. Nationally, 75 percent of households have broadband. In Seattle, the number is near 85 percent, according to a recent report from the Brookings Institution. But progress has stalled in the Emerald City. The adoption rate has been stuck around 85 percent for the past several years -- and city officials are trying to understand why.

Having 85 percent of households with broadband sounds great to some, but others say anything less than universal adoption is a drag on education and the economy. While broadband isn’t as essential as electricity or water, it’s fast becoming a fundamental service. Seattle Chief Information Officer Michael Mattmiller remains cautious about how quickly the city can reach universal broadband. The Brookings report was taken before Seattle made all of these changes, so it remains to be seen what impact they'll have on overall adoption rates. Cost, language and other factors could be holding back a small but vulnerable portion of the population, said Mattmiller, but he’s not sure which is the chief reason. “We need more data to quantify and understand the challenges to prioritize how to close the adoption gap,” he said. “It’s going to be a long effort to close that last 15 percent gap.”