High Speed Internet Will Bring New Opportunities to George, WA

I love just about everything that comes with living in North Central Washington, except my internet connection. Lagging internet speeds make it difficult for me to work remotely from home and take advantage of the internet for entertainment. And I’m not alone. According to Microsoft data, only 40% of Grant County uses the internet at broadband speeds.

This is more than an inconvenience, it’s a barrier to our children thriving in school, people living better lives and businesses being able to compete and grow. 

Working to close this gap is a priority for Microsoft, which is why I am so happy to join in the celebration today at George Elementary school on the expansion of broadband to George. This will give George residents, students, schools and businesses the opportunity to reap the benefits of faster internet speeds sooner than they would have otherwise.

For our part, Microsoft gave a $200,000 cash grant to Grant County PUD to help expedite its installation of fiber-optic cable in George, Wash. This investment is part of Microsoft’s deep commitment to the North Central Basin. In addition to being the home to our Quincy data center operations, the North Central Basin is one of six TechSpark communities where we are working closely with local partners to foster economic opportunities.

Expanding access to broadband is so important because research shows that the “broadband gap” – the divide between those with access to broadband and those without – is deepening the prosperity and opportunity divides between rural and urban America.

“Our analysis shows that the counties with the highest unemployment also have the lowest broadband usage (and broadband access),” Microsoft Chief Data Analytics Officer John Kahan wrote in a recent blog.

His analysis echoes independent studies which have shown the lack of connectivity has a very real impact on economic well-being, including jobs and growth. Not having broadband also makes working on homework and accessing information about education opportunities difficult for the estimated 12 million students across the country who don’t have broadband at home.

Since access to broadband will be more and more necessary to make a living and participate in the economy, Microsoft is working to expand connectivity through its Airband and TechSpark initiatives.

With a broadband connection, students can take an online class or research a school project online, patients can access telemedicine, farmers can digitally transform their farm, and local entrepreneurs can start and run a modern business – all of which grows opportunities in our community.