Federal Way has selected Government Technology Group LLC as its partner with the Broadband Planning Study. The city was awarded a broadband planning grant by the Washington State Community Economic Revitalization Board (CERB).

Government Technology Group will assist the city in studying the demands of the community and the availability of broadband services. Government Technology Group will create a plan to assess the need for first-rate broadband and a design to enable economic development and Smart City initiatives in the years to come. The Broadband Planning Study will develop strategies for the use and deployment of broadband infrastructure for government facilities, commercial and industrial corridors, as well as analyzing options for expanding broadband assets to the city’s residents.

Government Technology Group will assist to create an inventory of existing infrastructure, identify unserved and underserved areas, and develop phased deployment strategies that correspond with planned projects. This will allow Federal Way to maximize efficiency and cost-effectiveness as well as prepare for the equitable distribution of future technologies for our seniors, underserved, and unserved communities. Additionally, the Broadband Planning Study will assess Federal Way’s needs for Smart City innovations including intelligent transportation, public safety innovations, telemedicine, autonomous vehicles, and other applications.

A key part of this project is to assess the needs of the community therefore the city has developed a survey to be completed to help gather this data. The survey can be completed online at: https://uqr.to/cfwbis.

The study was launched at the end of May, and is expected to be completed by the end of 2022.