Latah County eyes ‘digital highways’

MOSCOW — The Latah County Broadband Coalition envisions a future of “digital highways” bringing high-speed internet access to rural cities.

That is why it is preparing a multimillion-dollar grant application to fund a fiber optic network reaching communities outside of Moscow.

Dan Smith, coalition member and Kendrick Joint School District information technology director, said this could attract businesses to these communities and give residents the same access to high-speed internet that bigger cities enjoy.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime deal,” Smith said.

Idaho is distributing nearly $1 billion in money for broadband infrastructure during the next two years. It is administering grant funds through the American Rescue Plan Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

Latah County is anticipating it will apply for $22 million to $45 million, according to Christina Mangiapani, Latah County grants manager. The awards will be announced later this summer and fall.

According to a Latah County news release, the project involves constructing conduit pathways along public rights of way filled with fiber optic cables. This will create the infrastructure that private internet service providers need to give rural communities high-speed internet.

Smith said this effort will not only benefit farmers who need the internet to conduct their business, but it should attract new employers to rural communities as well. Having broadband connectivity in place, he said, is a deciding factor for businesses when they are deciding where to locate.

Smith also said more internet infrastructure will close the “digital divide” that separates students in rural areas and those in bigger cities. Smith saw this divide when Kendrick Joint School District prepared to teach online courses during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Its major obstacle, he said, was the students’ lack of internet access.

“We can give students all the devices in the world, but if they can’t connect it to broadband internet it’s a useless tool,” Smith said.

According to Latah County, there are approximately 12,660 residents who live outside Moscow. The county is considered 98% rural by geography and 32% rural by population.

Smith said it is expensive to trench or bore into the difficult geography of Latah County to install fiber infrastructure. There is not enough incentive for companies to meet that challenge.

The Latah County Broadband Coalition intends to change that with this grant application. Smith said it is trying to create a “backbone” for the entire county that will deliver internet service.

In its news release, Latah County stated these “digital highways will allow commerce, education, healthcare, public safety, and communities to move at 21st-century speeds.”

Kuipers can be reached at akuipers@dnews.com