FCC commissioner visits Airway Heights

AIRWAY HEIGHTS - Eastern Washington Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers made a trip around the 5th Congressional District on July 2 with Federal Communications Commission Commissioner Brendan Carr. Their visits to hospitals, cell towers and engineering laboratories were all centered around Eastern Washington's expanding technology and network.

Carr is the FCC's senior Republican whose platform has an emphasis on bringing high-speed, 5G networks across the country.

One of the first stops on their trip was the water tower in Sunset Park where T-Mobile's 5G network went online for the first time.

"It's a game changer," Rodgers said. "COVID-19 really established the need for high-speed connection with telehealth and online schooling. It's bringing that to Airway Heights."

Before T-Mobile's installation, Comcast and Satellite had been the only providers for a city made up mainly of veterans and Air Force families. The new connection generates over 300 megabits per second and brings a speed increase of 150%.

This is T-Mobile's 80th site in eastern Washington, and they have 40 more planned to help close the area's digital divide. This connection will cover the city, Fairchild Air Force Base and a section of the Spokane International Airport.

Legacy Telecommunications, which has an office in Ritzville, was responsible for installing the new cell tower.

After a presentation on the growth of T-Mobile's coverage in eastern Washington, Legacy employees took Rodgers up to the top of the water tower to make the final connection. T-Mobile, Legacy and government employees alike waited at the bottom of the tower while the city's first 5G network came online.

"This event should highlight the amazing work (Legacy employees) do to connect our rural communities," said Jim Tracy, founder and CEO of Legacy Telecommunications. "They're hometown heroes. When everyone else runs from a storm, we run toward it."

After making the connection, Rodgers made the first 5G call from Airway Heights. While it went to voicemail, it established the successful connection. Carr and Rodgers also visited Providence Holy Family Hospital, Peak Industries, Nelson Farms, Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories and a roundtable with PacTech Alliance.

Riley Kankelberg can be reached at [email protected].