Oregon Working to Map Broadband Access

slfisher 0 700 Views

The state of Oregon is holding a series of informational meetings in 20 areas around the state to identify the barriers to bringing Internet resources to their community.

While obviously meetings are being held in urban locations such as Portland and the state capital of Salem, they are also being held in rural and remote locations such as John Day and Madras (with 5,078 residents, according to the 2000 census).

The meetings are part of a project funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, also known as the stimulus package. Oregon received a $1.6 million Broadband Data Collection and Mapping Grant and a $498,610 Broadband Planning Grant to conduct Internet initiatives in the state and support efforts to develop and ensure the implementation of state broadband strategies.

Work is being led by a company called One Economy under contract with the Public Utility Commission of Oregon (PUC), and in collaboration with the Oregon Business Development Department, and the Oregon Broadband Advisory Council. The groups are administering a public survey to assess Internet use and its demand, and will report the availability, affordability, and adoption of broadband technology within Oregon.

Oregon residents can also respond to the survey online, which contains demographic information as well as what barriers people are encountering, such as "It is not available where I live," "I can’t afford it," "I don’t like to sign contracts," issues with credit scores, or not having enough knowledge about what the Internet is or could provide.

Other questions include the importance of having Internet in the home and from a device such as a smart phone, as well as the amount that the person would be willing to pay for broadband Internet access.

Activities that Oregon residents are being asked about include e-mail, taking online courses, downloading programs or software updates and fixing computer/Internet problems, shopping, banking, sharing personal information, employment, health information, news, schoolwork, and entertainment.

Dani AI

Generated

Practical, action-oriented guidance to turn the outreach and survey activity into measurable results: focus on collecting verifiable evidence, aggregating local demand, and insisting on transparent mapping and timelines.

  • Document availability gaps precisely: compile exact service addresses, reported provider names, short symptom notes (no service, intermittent, very slow) and timestamps.
  • Gather speed-test evidence from both wired and typical Wi‑Fi devices at different times of day; save screenshots or exports and record date/time, device and test conditions.
  • Record every contact with providers (date, method, ticket/reference number, quoted reason for non-delivery). That paper trail converts anecdotes into actionable data.
  • Aggregate demand with a simple sign-up sheet (name, address, contact, general willingness-to-pay bracket). A consolidated list with signatures is far more persuasive to funders and ISPs than scattered comments.
  • Note anchor institutions (school, library, clinic, business) that would use or host service; their participation often changes project economics.
  • Request mapping transparency from organizers: which data sources will be used, how address-level gaps are validated, how the public can view updates, and an expected timeline for decisions.
  • Treat short-term and long-term options pragmatically: fixed-wireless or shared community links can be deployed quickly; fiber delivers scale but needs longer planning; satellite/mobile hotspots can fill gaps but often have latency or cap limitations.

This advice builds on the outreach reported by and echoes cost and planning themes raised by , and — convert meeting input into documented, verifiable evidence and a single local contact to follow up on map updates and funding milestones.

Member Avatar for kristinajosep
kristinajosep 0 Newbie Poster

The importance of having Internet in the home and from a device such as a smart phone, as well as the amount that the person would be willing to pay for broadband Internet access. These all things are great to know about it.

Member Avatar for marrygorden
marrygorden 0 Newbie Poster

The groups are administering a public survey to assess Internet use and its demand, and will report the availability, affordability, and adoption of broadband technology within Oregon.

Member Avatar for mactilden
mactilden 0 Newbie Poster

Broadband Planning Grant to conduct Internet initiatives in the state and support efforts to develop and ensure the implementation of state broadband strategies. These all things are great to know about it.

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