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  1. Cable Communications
  2. 2020 Broadband Access Study

2020 Broadband Access Study

Survey Results

Connecting Our County

Tanya Hannah
Chief Information Officer, King County
Director of King County Information Technology

“One thing the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has made abundantly clear is the absolute need for digital access. Digital equity is, put simply, a fundamental social-justice goal, as access to information and technology is essential to fully participating and prospering in our local community. Vast numbers of county residents need fast, reliable internet connections for remote work, while our students need it to continue with online learning and others require it for telehealth, to name just a few critical areas.

With that backdrop, I am pleased to release the Department of Information Technology study on broadband access within King County. This report grows out of a request by the King County Council, which recognizes the importance of reliable broadband service in residents’ lives. The study highlights that sustaining vibrant communities must include removing barriers that prevent low-income and rural residents in our community from full and equitable digital engagement. The study can support efforts to leverage community partners to expand capacity and literacy; increase infrastructure options with public/private partners; and promote digital inclusion of communities.

I can’t wait to use this valuable roadmap to support our residents and regional partners in receiving full access to the critical digital tools needed for full participation in work, school and our communities."

Finding Your Broadband Access in Your District

At King County, we believe in equal access to technology to improve the quality of everyone’s life. Our goal is to enable expansion of broadband access to more residents in our County. With our Broadband Access Study, we can now take a closer look at how residents use technology along with the pain points that prevent residents from getting connected. Learn more.

Comprehensive Report

For a deep dive into all aspect of the study including study methodology, findings and recommended solution options. This document contains 437 pages. The detailed analysis of results from the King County resident questionnaire starts on page 204.

Download the report - 16MB PDF

Taking a Closer Look

Text for screen readers

You can access data visualizations for results from the Broadband Access questionnaire survey of King County residents.

The raw data is used for the dashboard data visualizations. Download this data to facilitate your own analysis.

Raw Data - 19MB MS Excel File
Field Definitions - 119KB MS Excel File

Frequently Asked Questions

At the request of the King County Council, this project studied the availability and accessibility of Broadband internet services for King County residents. The goal of this project is to identify County areas either served, unserved or underserved by Broadband internet services, determine causes and suggest options to improve Broadband availability for King County residents. The study included a detailed survey of availability for broadband infrastructure in King County and also gathered data via survey responses from a sample of ~3868 King County residents.
The King County Council legislatively required this study to better understand the needs of King County residents that have limited or no broadband access to the internet.
The results of the study and survey are documented using unique tools and are explained below.
  1. For a high-level overview of finding’s are described in the 2020 King County Broadband Access Study Story Map. The Story Map is a map-based, visual summary of findings. However, for deeper detail, you may want to access the 2020 King County Broadband Access Study Comprehensive Report.
  2. You can access results from the questionnaire survey of residents via the 2020 King County Broadband Access Study Tableau Dashboard. And, you can also download the raw data used in the 2020 King County Broadband Access Study Tableau Dashboard: –
This report uses the FCC’s definition of Broadband speeds i.e., 25Mbps download, 3Mbps upload.
King County Has Identified Two Primary Types of Broadband Challenges: Lack of Availability (Unserved) and Low Levels of Use (Underserved) . The County’s definitions are as follows:
  1. Served: An area or address in King County is served with broadband if it can receive internet access with transmission speeds that, at a minimum and on a consistent and reliable basis, provide twenty-five megabits per second download and three megabits per second upload and if none of the factors included in the definition of underserved are present. This definition generally aligns both with federal rules and Washington law.
  2. Unserved: An area or address in King County is unserved with broadband if it cannot receive internet access with transmission speeds that, at a minimum and on a consistent and reliable basis, provide twenty-five megabits per second download and three megabits per second upload. This definition generally aligns both with federal rules and Washington law.
  3. Underserved: An area of King County is underserved with broadband if the service offered meets any of the following criteria (regardless of speeds): a. It has been adopted by less than 80 percent of residential customers
A future plan for expansion of access is not available at this time. The King County Council will be reviewing this report to determine what steps will be taken to meet identified needs in the future.
If you have further questions or comments, feel free to contact Chris Jaramillo, Manager and Compliance Officer for the King County Office of Cable Communications. Chris can be reached at (206) 263-7880.

Contact Cable Communications

General info

Christina Jaramillo
Cable Compliance Officer and Manager
206-263-7880