Those in the northeast part of Clark County hoping for faster internet speeds have something to look forward to as the Port of Ridgefield received $50,000 for a feasibility study to examine a broadband internet extension from La Center to Yale.
The grant was part of $200,000 approved by the Community Economic Revitalization Board on May 19 for several projects that aim to increase broadband access across the state, a release from CERB stated. The grant is matched by $12,500 in local resources.
The study will look at an extension of an existing fiber optic line from La Center east through Fargher Lake, Amboy, Chelatchie and across the Lewis River to Yale along state Route 503, according to a map from the Port of Ridgefield.
Although outside of its tax boundaries, the port is able to do the study in that area, port Director of Operations Ethan Perry said. A lack of connectivity affects work in the port’s area given its proximity. The area has lost economic development opportunities as a result.
“Along much of this area are farms and old logging areas that are currently seeking to diversify their opportunities for job and business creation as increased residential growth occurs along the route,” Perry said.
The COVID-19 pandemic and the reliance on internet connectivity to work and learn remotely brought the need for the infrastructure to the forefront, Perry said.
“I know people were struggling with that, especially in that household where you had parents and students who were trying to work from home, trying to do school from home,” Perry said.
The Clark County side of the project is a companion to a similar effort on the other side of the Lewis River. The Port of Woodland, a partner in the Ridgefield port’s extension study, has its own broadband project in Cowlitz County that is underway, which will increase internet resources from Ariel to Cougar when it is complete.
When both projects are finished, it will create connectivity redundancy along the loop, allowing for greater reliability in the areas served if something happens at any point in the chain.
“It’s like if a dead-end road … gets cut off, you don’t have access beyond that (cutoff),” Perry said. “It’s creating this circle of connectivity.”
Though data speeds are ultimately based on what a company in the area can provide, Perry said the goal is to have gigabit-speed internet available through its infrastructure projects.
The port anticipates the study will take two months after a bid for the project can be awarded.
The study doesn’t include what a project, if any, would look like regarding funding or who would construct it. There’s the possibility the private sector would be involved in constructing the infrastructure, Perry said.
“Right now, we just want to see if it’s feasible. Do (the residents) need connectivity? Our intuition is yes, they do, but we’ll have the professionals go out and determine that,” Perry said.
As far as Perry is aware, the potential broadband infrastructure expansion is the first collaboration of its kind between the ports of Ridgefield and Woodland.
“It’s very exciting any time you can pull two ports together and really make an impact on the communities,” Perry said.
The latest grant, and the study it funds, fits in with the port’s overall “dark fiber” project. As part of the project, the port builds the needed fiber optic infrastructure so a private internet service provider can come in and “light” a network. In 2018, state law changed to allow the Port of Ridgefield to pursue its own dark fiber project.
Portions of the overall efforts of the port are already underway, as connectivity through Ridgefield and out to Washington State University Vancouver is planned.
Perry said a similar study on the initial work to build dark fiber illustrated a need for an expansion in scope. Those options will be looked at during the research portion of what is funded by the latest CERB grant.
“It’s kind of like checking first to see if it makes sense,” Perry said.
As to why focusing efforts outside of the port’s taxing boundaries make sense, Perry said the port commission generally wants to work toward connectivity not being an issue across the region — “not just for businesses,” but for the community at large.
“Broadband infrastructure is similar to roads and rail, which connect regions together,” Perry said.
