This bill amends RCW 43.155.160 to establish and refine a competitive grant and loan program, administered by a board in collaboration with an office, to promote broadband access in unserved areas. It authorizes grants and loans for acquisition, installation, construction, repair, and replacement of middle mile and last mile infrastructure, allows applicants such as local governments, tribes, nonprofits, cooperatives, certain LLCs, and businesses, and requires the board to develop procedures, act as fiscal agent, publish criteria and scoring at least 60 days before preapplications open, and publish proposed project service areas and speeds for at least 30 days with a 30-day objection period. The amendment creates procedural rules for objections by existing providers alleging overbuild (requiring affidavit certification and a commitment to construct service within 24 months), allows the board to decline funding based on credible objections, and limits the board from denying funding for two subsequent cycles if an objecting provider fails to meet its commitment unless beyond its control. It also sets confidentiality protections for certain objection-related business and financial information under chapter 42.56 RCW, requires priority for projects in unserved or at-risk areas, and permits the board to adopt rules including a voluntary nonbinding mediation process. Financial and program limits are added: grants or loans to private entities must ensure the asset is maintained for public use for at least 15 years; award funding generally may not exceed 50% of project cost (up to 90% in financially distressed areas and Indian country); per-project caps are $2,000,000 generally and up to $5,000,000 for the distressed/Indian country exception; the board has recovery rights on default; and emergency public works broadband projects may receive lowor no-interest support with priority to restore damaged providers rather than fund overbuild by new providers. Some referenced definitions, the identities of "the board" and "the office," the full list of priority criteria, and subsection (11) application requirements are not included in the extracted facts and therefore are uncertain.

If enacted, this creates a new competitive grant and low-interest loan program to help pay for building, repairing, or replacing middleand last-mile broadband in areas the state deems unserved, and it gives priority to projects serving community institutions and distressed areas. Local governments, tribes, nonprofits, co-ops, certain LLCs, and private businesses can apply, but most projects will only get up to 50% of their cost and $2 million per award (with up to 90% and $5 million available in designated distressed areas or Indian country). Recipients of private funding must keep the infrastructure available for public use for at least 15 years, the board can recover funds on default, and emergency repairs can be funded (less any federal/state/insurance reimbursements), with rules allowing mediation between incumbents and applicants. The new process adds clear steps that affect providers and applicants: the board must publish application criteria 60 days ahead, post preapplications and proposed service areas/speeds publicly, and allow at least 30 days for objections by existing providers, who can block funding by claiming an overbuild or commit to build within 24 months (but lose that objection power for two cycles if they fail). This gives applicants a predictable but potentially risky approval path—projects may be delayed or denied by incumbent objections—and requires applicants to plan for matching funds and a 15-year maintenance obligation. Key details are missing from the provided text (the exact identities of “the board” and “the office,” the full priority criteria, and the complete application requirements and scoring), so some operational impacts and timelines remain uncertain.