diff --git a/lib/facts/tunnelbroker.js b/lib/facts/tunnelbroker.js
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/facts/tunnelbroker.js
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+// @flow
+
+import { isDev } from '../utils/dev-utils.js';
+
+const tunnnelbrokerURL: string = isDev
+  ? 'ws://localhost:51001'
+  : 'https://tunnelbroker.commtechnologies.org';
+
+export { tunnnelbrokerURL };
diff --git a/lib/tunnelbroker/tunnelbroker-context.js b/lib/tunnelbroker/tunnelbroker-context.js
--- a/lib/tunnelbroker/tunnelbroker-context.js
+++ b/lib/tunnelbroker/tunnelbroker-context.js
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 import invariant from 'invariant';
 import * as React from 'react';
 
+import { tunnnelbrokerURL } from '../facts/tunnelbroker.js';
 import { type TunnelbrokerMessage } from '../types/tunnelbroker/messages.js';
 import type { ConnectionInitializationMessage } from '../types/tunnelbroker/session-types.js';
 
@@ -31,9 +32,35 @@
 };
 
 function TunnelbrokerProvider(props: Props): React.Node {
-  const { children } = props;
-  const [connected] = React.useState(false);
+  const { children, initMessage } = props;
+  const [connected, setConnected] = React.useState(false);
   const listeners = React.useRef<Set<TunnelbrokerSocketListener>>(new Set());
+  const socket = React.useRef<?WebSocket>(null);
+
+  React.useEffect(() => {
+    if (connected || !initMessage) {
+      return;
+    }
+
+    const tunnelbrokerSocket = new WebSocket(tunnnelbrokerURL);
+
+    tunnelbrokerSocket.onopen = () => {
+      tunnelbrokerSocket.send(JSON.stringify(initMessage));
+    };
+
+    tunnelbrokerSocket.onclose = () => {
+      setConnected(false);
+      console.error('Connection to Tunnelbroker closed');
+    };
+    tunnelbrokerSocket.onerror = e => {
+      console.error('Tunnelbroker socket error:', e.message);
+    };
+    tunnelbrokerSocket.onmessage = (event: MessageEvent) => {
+      console.log('Received message:', event.data);
+    };
+
+    socket.current = tunnelbrokerSocket;
+  }, [connected, initMessage]);
 
   const sendMessage: () => Promise<void> = React.useCallback(() => {
     return new Promise(() => {});