Island Cellular, a Fixed Wireless Provider, the Big BEAD Winner in Washington State

Island Cellular LLC, with awards totaling almost $332 million, was by far the biggest grant winner in Washington’s Final Proposal for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program. Northwest Open Access Network was second, with almost $130.6 million. The comment period on the awards will end at 5 p.m. Pacific time on September 1. Island Cellular provides fixed wireless access internet service through its Emerge Technologies brand. The press release issued by Washington about its provisional awards listed the percentage of the total BEAD investment by technology type: 48.1 percent fiber, 38.6 percent licensed terrestrial fixed wireless, 8.3 percent licensed by-rule terrestrial fixed wireless, 6.2 percent non-geostationary satellite, and 0.6 percent unlicensed terrestrial fixed wireless.