The Port of Whitman County in Colfax has secured a $2.49 million grant from the Washington State Department of Commerce’s Community Economic Revitalization Board (CERB) to enhance high-speed internet access in the county.

The Rural Broadband Project aims to install fiber optic infrastructure at approximately 109 underserved locations throughout Whitman County, including regions along Sunshine Road east of Pullman, Kitzmiller Road north of Pullman, and west of Tekoa. Additionally, the project will connect to the Port’s Tekoa industrial site, which was acquired in 2023.

The Port is contributing $622,441 in matching funds to the initiative. Construction is scheduled to begin in summer 2025, with an expected completion date in December 2025.