PUD to provide Wi-Fi access locations in McCleary, Wishkah, and Satsop

Aberdeen, WA – The Grays Harbor PUD is teaming with cities, schools, and a group of state and independent agencies to provide free access to the PUD fiber network.  

The PUD says free Wi-Fi access will be provided around Grays Harbor County using mobile hotspots.  

Three drive-up sites have been agreed upon in Grays Harbor including McCleary City Hall, the Wishkah Valley School, and the Satsop School and they should be active this week.

Users can drive-up or walk-up to the sites and immediately have online access for business, school, and a host of other needs.

The PUD says they are working with other communities and organizations around the county to bring more sites online.  

Equipment for the sites has been provided to the utility free of charge by the Information Technology Disaster Resource Center, a private, industry funded disaster relief organization.

“Today more than ever, internet access is a critical part of our lives and a way to keep connected to family, schools and businesses.  However not everyone has the same level of access, especially in rural Washington.  Mobile sites like these will help to change that,” said PUD Core Services Director Rob Hanny, whose office oversees the PUD Telecommunications Department.

The PUD says this local access is part of a larger, statewide effort to provide free Wi-Fi access to Washington residents. 

Partners in the state’s drive-in Wi-Fi hotspots project include: Washington State University; Washington State Library, part of the Washington Office of the Secretary of State; members of the Washington Public Utility Districts Association (WPUDA) and affiliated nonprofit Northwest Open Access Network (NoaNet); the Washington State Broadband Office; Washington Independent Telecommunications Association (WITA); Washington Technology Solutions (WaTech); and the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI). 

For complete information and a map of locations, visit www.driveinwifi.wa.gov. 

The map will be updated as more sites come online.