About Broadlinc

About Broadlinc

The Spokane County Commissioners recognized the importance of preserving publicly funded broadband infrastructure, akin to accessible roads and bridges. To realize this vision, Broadlinc was established to actively work towards this goal.

Governance

Governing Board, Chair

Terri Cooper

City of Medical Lake Mayor

Representing Cities Under 50,000 Population

Terri Cooper has 23 years of municipal government experience as the appointed Municipal Court Administrator. She worked 6 years for Medical Lake, and the past 17 years for Cheney Municipal Court. Her work as the court administrator includes developing and presenting the annual budget to the city council and fiscal responsibility for administering the ADDUA budget for the court and overseeing the clerks and probation offices. She founded and implemented for court and probation services that include a local community service program, cognitive awareness group and individual classes, traffic school, EWU internship career pipeline, and Cheney youth court.  Founding member of the Washington State Association of Youth Courts and Eastern Washington Court Managers group.

Governing Board, Vice Chair

Kyle Twohig

Senior Director of Public Works, Spokane County

Kyle Twohig is the Senior Director of Public works for the County of Spokane. Prior to joining the County, Twohig worked with the City of Spokane, both as the Direct of Engineering Services and as the Engineering Operations Manager for City Hall.  Since 2019, Twohig has served as the Project Review Committee Vice Chair for the Washington State Capital Projects Advisory Review Board, providing analytical and detailed review of project proposals.  Outside of his work with the County, Twohig also has over a decade of experience within sales through his position as a Product Rep with Sneva MFG custom skis, sharing his passion of skiing with those around him.  He holds an MBA in Business Administration from Gonzaga University and a BA in Business Administration from Loyola Marymount University.

Governing Board

Mary Brooks

Spokane County Commissioner

Mary Kuney is the current County Commissioner of Spokane County. She is a CPA and former Washington State Auditor and was the Chief Deputy Auditor for Spokane County prior to being appointed County Commissioner in 2017. As a Washington State Auditor, Kuney was in-charge of the Spokane County audit for two years, ensuring that the County complied with all laws and regulations. In her former role of Chief Deputy Auditor for Spokane County, she worked with all the departments across the County, establishing strong relationship with department heads. She has a passion for youth, devoting over 30 years of volunteer work to youth development and also has started two businesses from scratch.

Governing Board

Ben Wick

City of Spokane Valley Council
Position 4

Representing Cities Over 50,000 Population

Ben Wick was elected to position 4 as a result of the November 2017 election and was re-elected in November of 2021 and 2025. Wick previously served a four-year term on the Spokane Valley City Council from 2012 through 2015. He served as Mayor from 2020 to 2021. Wick is the publisher of the Spokane Valley Current and Liberty Lake Splash community newspapers. He graduated from East Valley High School and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from Eastern Washington University. Wick is a member and current President of the Spokane Valley Kiwanis Club, Honorary Commander emeritus with the Fairchild Airforce Base, and volunteer with the Spokane County Interstate Fair. Wick is a fourth-generation Spokane Valley native and happily married with four young children.

Governing Board

Scott Simmons

Chief Executive Officer, Spokane County

Scott Simmons is a seasoned operations leader with a proven process and analytical approach, bringing over 20 years of experience in finance, telecommunications, energy and public administration. Prior to serving as CEO for Spokane County, he was Director of Public Works for the City of Spokane and also held various finance positions. He in an alumnus of University of Idaho, with a BS in Business Accounting. He has demonstrated ability to align strategy and business execution with a strong focus on client satisfaction and employee engagement.

Leadership

Executive Director

Ariane Schmidt

Ariane Schmidt has over 20 years of experience in project, program and portfolio management, procurement, legal & policy constructs, finance, grant funding, IT, GIS, broadband and public administration.  She appreciates the unique characteristics of every organization as the basis for collaboration in effective, efficient, affordable, and sustainable solutions.  She has a passion for taking complex, highly detailed efforts and identifying key business objectives in clear, concise, and conveyable manners to all levels of stakeholders. Ariane has a BS in Mathematics and a MBA. She is a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) and is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP)

Outside Plant Manager

James Aydelotte

James Aydelotte is an alumni of The Evergreen State University in Olympia, Washington and served a tour of duty in the US Army. Following service to our country, James worked in construction and logistics before entering the utility industry. He has robust experience in telecommunications engineering and front-line management throughout the Inland Northwest region. James joined the Broadlinc team with a goal to add his experience to the endeavor of bringing open access, high speed internet to everyone in Spokane County.

Financial Services Manager

Devon Vibbert

Devon Vibbert brings over 20 years of experience in accounting, finance, and operations to her role as Financial Services Manager. After starting her career in public accounting, she went on to operations management in the retail industry supporting law enforcement and military needs. With a background that spans operations, accounting, tax compliance, and organizational leadership, Devon approaches her work with a focus on precision and collaboration. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Finance and Business Administration from Eastern Washington University and is passionate about bringing broadband systems to the community with financial integrity and a vision for long-term growth.

Administrative Services Manager

Andy Wittwer

Andy Wittwer has two decades of communications experience in the service industry, adept in creative development, strategic thinking, and project management. He pursues clarity of mission and strategy as drivers for successful initiatives and enjoys the process of conversation and collaboration which thread together for complex and important work. Having worked with talented and specialized coworkers, generalization has led him into a variety of project types, always learning and applying new systems to make room for creativity and innovation. He has his BS in Organizational Communications and his MBA from Eastern Washington University.

Broadlinc PDA

The Spokane Regional Broadband Development Authority Broadlinc was established in 2022 by the Spokane County Commissioners to coordinate with local governments, tribes, public and private entities, nonprofit organizations, and consumer-owned and investor-owned utilities to develop strategies and plans promoting development of broadband infrastructure and greater broadband access.

A public development authority, sometimes known as “public corporations,” assists in administering federal grants or local programs, enhance governmental efficiency and service provision, and/or improve a municipality’s general living conditions. Learn more here.

Thriving, resilient, connected

Broadlinc partners with Spokane County and its incorporated towns and cities through InterLocal Agreements (ILAs). By leading public and private collaborations, we’re advancing Public Benefit Open Access networks across the county.

Together, we’re building stronger, more connected rural communities. Broadlinc membership includes Spokane County and its incorporated towns and cities.

Spokane-County-Map

Member Cities

City of Airway Heights
City of Cheney
City of Deer Park
City of Medical Lake
City of Millwood
City of Spokane
City of Spokane Valley
Town of Fairfield
Town of Latah
Town of Rockford
Town of Spangle
Town of Waverly

Committed to Community and Economic Development

Broadband is more than just a essential service—it’s a catalyst for economic growth and community connection.

Through our membership in local Chambers, we are building relationships with business leaders, collaborating on community projects, and advising on policies in the broadband sector that drive economic progress. Together, we make reliable broadband accessible to all—because connectivity is the foundation for vibrant, prosperous communities.

Ongoing connectivity initiatives

Broadband Planning

Construction Management

Wireless Deployment

Federal Grant Support

State Grant Support

Elect Liaison & Policy Work

Open Access Network Operations

ISP Coordination

Broadband is the new essential utility, as vital to economic growth as reliable energy, clean water, and good roads. Access to, and use of, high-speed Internet is vital for today’s communities – large and small.