City of Seattle

The study, conducted every five years, provides valuable data and insight on internet access and use, devices, digital skills, civic participation, training needs, and safety and security concerns. Results help guide the City and community digital equity programs to serve residents better.

The City of Seattle (WA) received $393,200 to help connect Seattle residents to reliable, affordable high-speed internet. The funding stems from the Federal Communications Commission’s Affordable Connectivity Outreach Grant Program.

Seattle is one of the most “connected” cities in the country. 95% of Seattle households have internet access in the place where they live. But internet adoption is lacking in specific geographic areas and is driven primarily by the affordability of broadband service. Despite an extensive and robust broadband infrastructure, unfortunately, there is still a 5% gap in internet adoption for Seattle residents. This gap is concentrated geographically in certain areas of the City.

Finding a job, getting a competitive education, participating in our democracy, or even going to work for some, requires high speed Internet access.

I have seen people say online, “I don’t need a road to get to work, I need high speed Internet.” Seattle would never leave the construction of roads up to a private monopoly, nor should we allow the City’s Internet access to be constructed and managed by a private monopoly.

It is incredibly clear to me and residents throughout the City of Seattle, that the City’s current high speed Internet options are not dependable enough, are cost prohibitive for many, and have few (if any) competitive options. As the Internet becomes more and more important to everyday life, I believe Seattle must be a national leader in identifying innovative ways to make high speed Internet available and affordable to anyone who wants it.

Seattle needs a high speed Internet infrastructure that meets the demands of our high tech industry and which allows our citizens to innovate without worrying about whether their connection will suddenly drop because their service provider has decided to throttle a service they depend on. We need an Internet that does not censor communication, but fosters access to the content citizens depend on for information or civic engagement. We need a service provider that can do all of this with strict privacy controls so that free speech is encouraged, not stifled.

In short, we need a high speed Internet option that rivals any in the country. If we make changes that lower the costs for businesses, these changes would need to come paired with significant improvements in services. I will not be satisfied if these changes simply bring marginal improvements for customers and higher profits for corporations.