LOC News
Open for Public Comment - Draft Initial Proposal Volume II for BEAD Funding
Late last week, the Oregon Broadband Office (OBO) released the DRAFT Oregon Initial Proposal Volume II, which outlines how the OBO will administer the $689 million in Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) funding from the National Telecommunication Information Association (NTIA).
Comments for the DRAFT Initial Proposal Volume II will be accepted until 5 p.m. PST on December 9, 2023. Cities, as well as counties, Tribal entities and the public, are invited to submit comments via the public comment portal as early as possible.
The DRAFT Proposal outlines how Oregon will use federal BEAD funds to expand high-speed internet to include all unserved and underserved households. The OBO developed the draft proposal after engaging in regional meetings, sector-specific meetings, focus groups, intergovernmental meetings with all Tribal governments in the state, and public outreach. The LOC and many cities participated in various focus groups and regional meetings with the OBO.
The LOC will work with its members to develop comments, but also strongly encourages member cities to simultaneously submit their own comments. This is an opportunity to provide feedback on how the OBO will administer the $689 million in BEAD funding from the NTIA.
The public has until 5 p.m. PST on December 9, 2023 to submit comments via the public comment portal. Review the DRAFT Oregon Initial Proposal Volume II and submit your comments as early as possible. If you encounter technical issues while using the Public Comment Portal to submit comments, please contact the Oregon Broadband Office as soon as possible at broadband.oregon@biz.oregon.gov.
Additionally, as mentioned in the LOC Bulletin on November 3, the DRAFT Digital Equity Plan is now open for a 45-day public comment period until 5 p.m. PST on December 16, 2023. Cities are strongly encouraged to simultaneously submit their own comments for the DRAFT Digital Equity Plan via the public comment portal as early as possible.
If you have any questions about either, please reach out to the LOC's Nolan Pleše.
Contact: Nolan Pleše, Lobbyist – nplese@orcities.org
Last Updated 11/17/23