Rep. Ed Orcutt addresses a question from a community member during the Legislative Roundtable at the Lewis County Courthouse in October 2017.
Rep. Ed Orcutt, R-Kalama, has sponsored a bill that he says will bring broadband and better internet access to rural and coastal parts of the state.
House Bill 2749 was introduced on Jan. 15. It would allow a local sales and use tax as a credit against the state sales tax for rural high speed internet infrastructure without an increase to the total sales and use tax rate, stated a press release from Orcutt’s office. The counties could then use the money to make infrastructure investments.
“A constituent in west Lewis County told me that he can always tell when his kids are doing their homework online because his internet connection slows to a crawl,” Orcutt said. “This legislation isn’t just about providing faster internet — it’s about laying the groundwork so many underserved parts of our state can connect to the internet for the first time. It’s about allowing people to connect with the information and resources that many of us have come to take for granted.”
The 2016 Broadband Progress Report from the Federal Communication Commission shows more than 200,000 Washingtonians do not have high speed broadband access. Fourteen percent of those who live in rural areas lack access, compared to 1 percent in urban areas.
“While this is a tax policy bill that raises funds for counties, it doesn’t raise taxes for consumers — it just allows the county to keep a portion of the state sales tax to be spent as they see fit, keeping more dollars local. That’s important to rural areas,” Orcutt said. “This is about empowering rural counties. They want to be a part of the solution. They know this is not only a quality of life issue, but an economic one.”
The measure has six Democratic co-sponsors and has been referred to the House Technology and Economic Development Committee.
“While it tends to be Republicans who represent many of these underserved communities, I’ve seen a concern and willingness from Democrats to work on this issue,” Orcutt said. “This is truly a ‘One Washington’ issue.”
