Along the I-90 corridor in WA state, between the Hadley/Morrow Floating Bridge and the City of North Bend, residents have limited options for broadband access. Per the WA State Telecommunication Boundary Map, Qwest/CenturyLink and CenturyTel maintain a monopoly of communications infrastructure. Residents can select either DSL service from Qwest/CenturyLink or CenturyTel or have Cable Internet Service from Comcast/Xfinity. 

Rates from these providers are locked in non-competitive practices with limited options for increased bandwidth. A recent check for Qwest/CenturyLink shows a maximum of 140Mbps for $49.00/mo and Comcast/Xfinity will not disclose their speed and rates without speaking to an associate or being an existing customer.

At least one neighborhood along the I-90 corridor, the Issaquah Highlands, has rolled out their own Internet provider with transparent and simple pricing. Even with their own fiber network, residents have the option to use CenturyLink or Comcast, though it is likely that most opt for the faster and more reliable Highlands Fiber Network.

This petition is meant to compel our local and state governments in improving customer choice and increasing competition between broadband service providers, specifically along the I-90 corridor outside of Seattle, WA. This includes not only price competition, but also faster service offerings for the modern requirements of remote work, education, continued learning/education, hobbies, and entertainment. Further, clear communication of offering and price must be made available to residents seeking to select the quality of Internet service that best suits their individual and family needs. This communication must include the length of promotional terms, initial setup cost, any equipment rental fees (as well as the alternatives to avoid these fees), speed, and other metrics of service quality (such as min/avg/max speed, total outages, or other restrictions such as download caps, etc.)

Local and state governments should consider also building and providing their own networks as a public utility that would provide competitive service quality and pricing to commercial offerings. Such a service can also be utilized to provide home Internet access to those in the community who are currently underserved due to financial or other difficulties. In today's society, universal Internet access is required for everything from education to healthcare to handling personal matters. Underserved communities should not have to resort to leaving their homes to be able to utilize the Internet for their needs.