Kitsap County could receive millions of dollars in federal funding that is expected to bring high-speed internet to thousands of homes.
The Kitsap Public Utility District announced last week that the Washington State Broadband Office preliminarily allocated the county almost $15 million as part of over a billion dollars invested in the state through a federal initiative aiming to expand internet access. According to KPUD, the award will go toward a project to connect an estimated 4,000 households with reliable broadband.
“This is an exciting milestone for Kitsap,” Angela Bennink, KPUD general manager, said in a statement. “High-speed internet is essential for education, healthcare, business, and daily life. This preliminary award represents a big step toward ensuring every resident of Kitsap County has access to reliable, affordable broadband.”
Known as the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program, BEAD will be providing more than $42 billion nationwide to bring down barriers that both unserved and underserved homes and businesses face with obtaining reliable internet. According to KPUD’s statement, BEAD funds the building of infrastructure to improve the service residents can receive through retail providers.
Communications Director Kimberly Funk said the financial amount distributed to KPUD will be finalized in late December or January 2026, after WSBO’s proposal is reviewed by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. Once approved, KPUD will announce how the award will be used, which areas will be targeted in the project and when construction will begin. WSBO will submit the final proposal to the NTIA on Thursday, which has 90 days to conduct a review.
Kitsap County residents can learn more about the proposed financial award by reading WSBO’s final proposal that is available online.