Broadband intiative gets reboot

RITZVILLE – A Public Works broadband project to be funded by a grant from the state Department of Commerce and intended to bring high-speed Internet to Ritzville has undergone a change of direction.

Initially, the plan was to have the fiber-optic infrastructure installed by NoahNet.

But that would have left the city to operate the broadband network as a public utility, similar to water and sewer, with no staff or expertise, officials said.

Now, the city is working on a plan to include a publicly owned corporation, Petrichor Broadband.

Under the new plan NoahNet would still manage the installat...