The COVID-19 pandemic and the associated school closures and remote work environments, including the virtual 2021 Oregon State Legislative Session, have fully exposed the human and economic consequence of the widening digital divide in Oregon, and nationwide. The historic wildfire season in 2020 destroyed essential communications infrastructure and set some of our neediest communities back even further. The results of a 2020 Oregon Broadband Study estimate that it would cost $1.32 billion to connect all unserved and underserved communities with broadband internet access service.  

The U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce recently introduced the LIFT America Act, which proposes $80 billion for the deployment of secure and resilient high-speed broadband infrastructure nationwide. Also included is $15 billion for Next Generation 9-1-1 services, $5 billion in low-interest financing for broadband deployment, and $9.3 billion for broadband affordability and adoption.

Historic levels of broadband infrastructure funding are also contemplated in the Governor’s Recommended Budget for the Business Oregon and the Broadband Office budget, in House Bill 5023. Business Oregon has been home to the State Broadband Office since 2018. The Broadband Office is tasked with developing broadband investment and deployment strategies; managing and awarding funds allocated to the office for broadband projects; and supporting and promoting broadband planning more generally. 

The Governor’s Recommended Budget allocates $100 million for broadband infrastructure projects to be furnished by the Broadband Office. This critical investment will:

  • Help unserved and underserved communities access technology and provide all communities, despite location or size, adequate service;
  • Make Oregon more competitive in receiving federal funds — many federal programs require a 10 percent state match to access federal dollars, and others require broadband strategic plans;
  • Ensure critical infrastructure for Oregon’s business community and growing workforce that is dependent on technology to stay competitive – COVID-19 has forced many people to work from home and some employees will continue working remotely even after the pandemic;
  • Provide a remote healthcare opportunity for people and families who are not close to in-person health services; and
  • Rebuild and update critical infrastructure that was damaged during Oregon’s 2020 wildfire season.

While neither the state nor federal proposals have passed through their respective legislative bodies, it is safe to say that a significant amount of broadband dollars are on the way. To that end, the Association of Oregon Counties (AOC) and the League of Oregon Cities (LOC) are in the process of setting up a broadband webinar in July to walk through available resources, share strategies and success stories, and connect with our state and federal partners to ensure local governments are prepared to apply for and deploy these investments. Please reach out to Mallorie Roberts at AOC with any questions or to share ideas for helpful webinar content.

Contributed by: Mallorie Roberts | Legislative Affairs Manager