LOC News
Upcoming Community Broadband Listening Sessions: Help Oregon Plan to Spend Federal Broadband Funding
Last week, the LOC highlighted the upcoming Broadband Planning Listening Sessions that the Oregon Broadband Office (OBO) is hosting in communities across the state. Throughout the 2023 legislative session, the LOC has advocated for the need to update Oregon’s Broadband Fund to maximize federal funding for broadband infrastructure. The next step in the process is how the state plans to spend this funding. For the state to receive the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program funding for the infrastructure and digital equity portions, the state needs to submit a final plan for how they intend to spend the funding. This requires outreach to communities for input.
Next week, the OBO will be holding the final set of community listening sessions in The Dalles, Baker City, Ontario, Burns and Redmond. If you represent these communities or are in a nearby community, please consider attending to provide feedback and ensure your community’s needs are highlighted. A final virtual meeting will be held on June 22 for anyone who was not able to attend these in-person meetings.
Community Broadband Listening Sessions - Week of June 5:
- Monday, June 5 at 5:30 p.m. – Columbia Gorge Community College; The Dalles
- Tuesday, June 6 at 5:30 p.m. – Crossroads Carnegie Arts Center; Baker City
- Wednesday, June 7 at 5:30 p.m. - Treasure Valley Community College; Ontario
- Thursday, June 8 at 5:30 p.m. - Harney County Community Center; Burns
- Friday, June 9 at 11:30 a.m. - COCC's Redmond Technology Education Center; Redmond
With up to $500 million available for Oregon, it’s imperative that cities and their communities contribute to this process. Starting this month through the end of August, the OBO will hold a series of informational and input opportunities across the state. It’s important for LOC members to attend these meetings and provide their local insight into the challenges their communities face and thoughts on how to improve access, reliability, and affordability in their cities and surrounding community.
A full list of the community meetings can be found at the OBO’s website and below with links to register. The OBO is also providing flyers in English and Spanish that are designed for Eastern Oregon, Western Oregon, and the Portland Metro area that can be distributed to your community.
If you have any questions about this process, please contact Nolan Pleše.
Full Community Broadband Listening Session Schedule and Registration Links
|
Date |
Time |
Location |
Register |
|
Monday, June 5 |
5:30 p.m. |
Columbia Gorge Community College; The Dalles |
|
|
Tuesday, June 6 |
5:30 p.m. |
Crossroads Carnegie Arts Center; Baker City |
|
|
Wednesday, June 7 |
5:30 p.m. |
Treasure Valley Community College; Ontario |
|
|
Thursday, June 8 |
5:30 p.m. |
Harney County Community Center; Burns |
|
|
Friday, June 9 |
11:30 a.m. |
COCC's Redmond Technology Education Center; Redmond |
|
|
Thursday, June 22 |
10:00 a.m. |
Virtual |
Contact: Nolan Pleše, Lobbyist – nplese@orcities.org
Last Updated 6/2/23