The 2011 Annual Report on Broadband in Washington, http://broadband.wa.gov/sites/default/files/docs/2011BBAnnualRptFINAL.pdf, was released in January by the  Washington State Broadband Office, part of the Washington State Department of Commerce.

The report states that 44% of Washingtonians have access to at least 4 wire line providers, significantly above the national average of 9.3%, and 53% have access to at least 5 wireless providers, again significantly above the national average of 24.8%. Washington State has the nation’s third highest adoption-of-broadband rate at 77% and Washingtonians in rural areas are only 9% less likely to use broadband services than those in urban areas (pages 10-11). Still there is much to do to bring broadband services to libraries and to the individuals in the communities they serve.

The Washington State Library partnered with the Northwest Open Access Network (NoaNet) to bring high speed broadband connections to 100+ libraries in rural and tribal communities. NoaNet’s project will touch 170 Washington communities and 2,200 schools, hospitals, libraries, colleges and public safety facilities.  The NoaNet project focuses on building infrastructure. Focusing on adoption of broadband are projects by the EdLab Group, Toledo Telephone, and Zero Divide.

EdLab’s Communities Connect Network’s February 2012 newsletter provides information about their projects and about digital inclusion, insuring that no one is left behind. The Acting Washington State Librarian, Rand Simmons, serves on EdLab’s Council of Digital Inclusion and on the Advisory Committee that oversees the 21 Communities Connect broadband projects.