Hat Island receives $3M loan for high-speed internet connection

HAT ISLAND — Lori Christopher, a graphic designer on Hat Island, needs high-speed internet for work.

But on the small island about 4 miles west of Everett, the residents don’t have access to it. Christopher said uploading large files onto her computer takes hours.

“I’ve had to bail,” she said. “I put files on a drive or burned CD — old school — and boat them to Everett.”

Christopher said if multiple people in her household want to use the internet at the same time, it’s almost impossible.

On Monday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a nearly $3 million loan to help alleviate the issue for the island.

The money would help provide high-speed internet on Hat Island, aka Gedney Island. The loan is part of billions of dollars allocated to rural communities across the country through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law over five years to ensure affordable, high-speed internet access to all Americans.

“We’re hugely looking forward to having faster internet,” Christopher said via phone.

The Hat Island Telephone Company will use the loan to transition “93 people, six businesses and one farm” from copper DSL-based internet to fiber cable, according to Sen. Maria Cantwell’s office.

George Henny, co-CEO of the Hat Island Telephone Company and Whidbey Telecom, said the investment from the federal government is unprecedented.

“Reliable broadband access is the backbone of resilience for rural areas, and fiber infrastructure paves the way for better access to jobs, healthcare and educational opportunities,” Henny said in a press release.

Hat Island is home to 60 full-time residents, and over 200 families who vacation there in the summer, according to past Daily Herald articles. The island has seen an influx of people move their homes to the island by barge since 2019.

Jason Biermann, senior policy adviser for the the Snohomish County Executive’s Office, manages broadband efforts in the county. He said the island residents’ isolation and slow internet is a matter of safety.

“Today, broadband is as important as electricity,” he said. “If we need to notify the Hat Island residents about a public safety issue, we need to do that quickly.”

U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, the lead Democrat on the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, said high-speed internet access will ensure equity for rural communities.

“Congress must build on bold, long-term investments in broadband like the BIL to close the digital divide,” Larsen said in a press release.

The federal loan will cover a small portion of the project cost — expenses are high due to challenges in the electronic industry supply chain, labor shortages and the barge transport required to move equipment and workers. Almost everything needs to be transported to the island, which is 443 acres with no stores or restaurants.

The Hat Island Telephone Company has not released an official start date for the project, but said it’s in early construction stages. The company plans to transition the island from DSL to fiber by the end of 2026.

Sydney Jackson: 425-339-3430; sydney.jackson@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @_sydneyajackson.