Port advances with Broadband LLC contract

The extended Port of Whitman County debate on forming a Port Broadband LLC ended at the port’s Sept. 19 meeting when the port commissioners voted 2-1 in favor of making the move.

Last year there was a potential Port cooperative project, with Broadband LLC, that did not advance.

“This business model is a win-win for the Port of Whitman and the cooperative’s member ports, but, most importantly, the resulting work of the cooperative will be a huge win for those in rural, underserved areas of our state, including Whitman County,” Port Executive Director Joe Poire stated Monday in a press release.

Port Board Chair Kristine Meyer noted it has been a long road and the port is moving forward.

At the Aug. 1 port meeting, Poire reported five other ports expressed a strong interest in the proposal.

Port of Whitman commissioners Dec. 5 approved resolution 19-19 that activates the port’s participation in the new Broadband LLC cooperative. The motion was passed on a 2-1 vote. Port Commissioners Kristine Meyer and John Love voted in favor of the resolution, and Commissioner Tom Kammerzell voted against.